FateStay Night  Prismatic Chaos
by Alyeris
Summary: The second magic, the doorway to infinite possibilities. Exposed to it's effects from a young age, the Emiya Shirou that should have been is no more. In his stead is... Emiya Kirika? Why are there two Sabers? What's going on with this grail war!
1. Chapter 1

Once upon a time in Fuyuki, there was a (reluctantly) newly christened champion of (death) love and (destruction) justice, pretty magical girl Kaleido-Ruby!

"Spreading the flames of LOVE to all evildoers! BURN! HAHAHAHAHA! Isn't love so pretty when it burns this hot? Go! Sparkling Prismatic - *Pssshhh* ... Eh? What am I... !"

"Time over already? Don't worry master! Magical Ruby-chan will- "DIE DIE DIE YOU STUPID STICK!" - ghwack!"

... Or at least there was for a short while. *The scenes of wand abuse that follow are unsuitable for the viewing of magical audiences below the age of eighteen.*

"Master, you really shouldn't - *KWANG* - this really - *CRUNCH* - hey! Ruby-chan is a delicate - *SMASH* - ring-a-round the roooosies... *KLANG* - help! Wand abuse!"

"Hah, hah, hah..." Rin Tohsaka, head of the Tohsaka family of magi at the tender age of twelve, breathed heavily as she glared at the offensive item in her hands. "... Shut up and break already you cursed thing!"

In another universe Rin would have retained enough sanity to avoid what came next, but in a multi-verse where almost anything was possible. The tragedy that followed was but one out of an infinite number of outcomes to this fiasco.

"You know master," the disaster in wand form said seriously, making Rin stop for a moment to listen.

Only to completely flip the next moment.

"Black lace panties? At your age? No, no, no! Magical Ruby-chan cannot permit this travesty! Magical girl = striped panties! Kaleido Prism Power Make-... Master? Rin-chan? Ruby-chan wonders why she sees a demonic aura behind you!"

"... Burn in the deepest pits of hell you PERVERTED PIECE OF JUNK!"

"Magical Ruby-chan! Fly, fly, fly awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!" the wand shrieked out as Rin threw it towards the horizon at near terminal velocity.

Unfortunately for humanity, Rin was not born on the planet where the shiny green stones come from, and her greatest efforts were only sufficient to propel the cursed item a mere two hundred metres from her location.

Which was still enough to change the course of destiny.

-x-x-x-

Emiya Shirou was a simple lad with just one secret. He was a half-baked mage! Right now he could only use the simple reinforcement and projection that Kiritsugu had taught him, but he was sure that in a few years time he would be a great mage like Kiritsugu had been. Just another step on the road to becoming a champion of justice like he had promised.

"OOOOH! Sympathetic brain waves detected~!"

"Huh?" Shirou looked up in the midst of analysing the latest piece of junk that Fuji-nee had brought in. Who was that? And why was whoever it was coming closer and closer?

Curious, he was about to stand up and look out when the answer came flying through the shed window. Whatever it was, it was hard and had been travelling fast enough that his nose started bleeding after it hit him.

A drop of blood dripped onto the pink and gold thing that had hit him, and Shirou was startled when the stick suddenly stood up by itself and began to shout.

"An innocent young lad just started on the road to becoming a hero! Developing his skills in order to fight for JUSTICE around the world! Ruby-chan is so happy to have found someone like you!"

"Hwah?" Shirou blinked. How did this thing know what his dream was... Wait a minute! How was this thing even talking in the first place?

"Don't be afraid Emiya-kun! Ruby-chan was created to help girls become what they dream of! You will be a hero(ine) in no time!" The _thing_ that Shirou now recognised as some kind of magical item continued to speak without any regards to the shock that he felt. "Magical Ruby! Kaleido Prism Power Total Make-over! Begin!"

It was then that Shirou's mind finally processed what the stick had said a moment ago.

"Wait! What do you mean you were made to help 'girls' become what they dream of?" Shirou said in a panic as he tried to throw away the wand which had found itself into his hand somehow. "... Huh? Why can't I let go?"

"Hu hu hu! Magical Ruby-chan isn't about to let go of another master so easily!" Ruby-chan cackled evilly as a shower of multi-coloured lights began to fall down around Shirou. "Don't worry about it Emiya-kun! If you are going to fight for love and justice it's only natural to be a magical girl!"

"But I'm a booooy!" was Shirou's last protest before the rainbow lights swamped him. Ruby's only response to the plaintive cry was to giggle like a mad clown as she waited for the transformation to begin in earnest.

-x-x-x-

Five days later, Kotomine Kirei cursed the name of Kishua Zelretch Schweinorg as he worked to modify the last batch of minds that had borne witness to the disaster that his charge had helped set loose upon an unprepared world. The madness that was the Kaleido-stick had caused the destruction of three city blocks and property damage in the high millions before it could be sealed to the cry of 'Ruby-chan will be baaaack~!'. Cleaning up the mess had involved wiping the memories of hundreds of people and the dispatch of two clean-up teams from the Association. There was also the high possibility that the incident would be used as an excuse by many in the Clock Tower to try and confiscate this land from the Tohsakas, something that he couldn't allow yet. Amazingly enough there had been no loss of life, but even so... He was getting a headache just thinking of all the paper-work he was going to have to get through in order to cover this up. On the other hand, at least he didn't need to worry about finding the money for bribes and damages. Gilgamesh's Golden Rule brought in enough cash for the main part, and any extra as was needed could be taken from the Tohsaka estate that he was caretaker of.

Sending yet another mind back to sleep, Kirei turned his thoughts towards the central figure of this disaster. One Emiya Shirou, formerly male, now female and all of twelve years old. An investigation had revealed that he was a very lucky child. A survivor of the blaze that had gutted the city four years ago, an escapee from the fate that Kirei had arranged for his fellow survivors, and adopted by _Emiya Kiritsugu_ of all people. It was also possible to argue that he had come out very well this time as well. A body that had undergone a transformation through the Second True Magic, with twenty seven magic circuits that had operational capacities that dwarfed even those of a once in a generation blessed body like Rin's. If Kirei hadn't noticed the name and taken steps to hide him/her, Emiya Shirou would even now be on a dissection table somewhere as mages took him apart in their search for the Root.

Kirei hoped that the child had inherited his/her adopted parent's abnormal sense of justice. Four years ago his encounter with Emiya Kiritsugu had ended in disappointment, and it would be entertaining to help grow a similar dream in the child and watch as his/her ideals betrayed him/her. Even if it wasn't so, the child was an interesting subject for him. A boy turned girl, but still with the mind of a boy. A perfect subject for mental torture and humiliation. He would have to keep a watch over the child of course. The Association could not find out about him/her, and as a servant of God he couldn't let a poor confused lamb deal with a strange new world by himself/herself now, could he?

An unpleasant grin stretched Kirei's lips as he began to replace memories with nightmares in the last of the last people who needed to be taken care of. A little girl who knew next to nothing about how those of her sex behaved, with no suitable clothes or worldly possessions to speak of. Yes, these next few years were going to be very amusing indeed.

**Fate/Stay Night - Prismatic Chaos**

**1 - 1**

A lazy afternoon, with a warm sun overhead countering the chill of the early winter air. At Homurabara High School the students were just beginning to leave the building with the end of classes for the day.

"Kirika-chan, can you take my place in the clean-up roster today?" one girl asked another as everyone hurried to pack their bags in order to leave. "I promised some of my friends that I would meet them after school today and I totally forgot about it."

The doll-like girl that had been approached for help smiled apologetically. A bit short for her age, but with a body proportion that put models to shame, it was not surprising that a lot of male eyes were on her as she shrugged. The motion also made her vibrant copper hair catch the sun's light, the warm metallic color well accentuating her honey colored eyes.

"Sorry, I would take your place Hongou-san," she said softly. "But, Rin has been needling me lately about me always being late..."

"Please Kirika-chan?" Hongou pressed her classmate. "It's a really important meeting for me."

Kirika's smile faltered as Hongou bowed her head. "Uhm..."

Hongou crept a little closer, getting close enough that Kirika whose personal space was a bit wider than other girls began to feel a bit uncomfortable. "Kirika-chan, just this once? I'm sure that Tohsaka-san would understand if you were a little late."

Unable to refuse the determined girl, Kirika sighed and gave in. "Okay Hongou-san. Go ahead. I suppose Rin wouldn't mind me staying back - "What wouldn't I mind Kirika-chan?" - a while. Oh, hey Rin."

The two girls turned to find a textbook example of an Oriental beauty behind them, her out-of-place cerulean eyes looking at them disapprovingly. Tohsaka Rin, the idol of the school, manager and guardian of one Emiya Kirika. Though her face wore an angelic smile, the object of her attention couldn't help but feel like a frog under the glare of a snake about to strike.

"Good, good afternoon Tohsaka-san," Hongou stuttered. Now that Tohsaka was here she knew that she was going to have to cancel her plans.

"Good afternoon to you Hongou-san," Rin said with the angelic smile still on her face. "Do you mind coming with me for a second? We need to have a little chat."

Kirika winced and looked out the window as Rin half led, half dragged the reluctant girl out of the class. The few students who were still left reacted in much the same manner, except for some girls who offered a quick prayer for Hongou's continued health.

Tohsaka Rin, Miss Perfect, the object of admiration throughout the school for her unblemished academic record and athletic ability. Or at least that had been her image until the beginning of her second year. A few weeks in, Rin finally became fed up with the abuse of Kirika's generous personality by her fellow students and revealed a temper that only two people had known she had. These days she was referred to around the hallways of the school as the 'Scarlet Devil' just as commonly as she was called 'Miss Perfect'. Her actions had also provoked the rumour mills as to the exact nature of the relationship between the two girls, but regardless of such fanciful stories, it was commonly known that to try and take advantage of Kirika was to risk the wrath of the Scarlet Devil.

"Come on Kirika-chan, time to go home." Rin said cheerfully as she came back into the classroom a few minutes later. Hongou was nowhere to be seen but Kirika tried not to let that bother her. The last time she had asked about the fate of those that Rin led away, she had been subjected to Rin's terrifyingly innocent smile and the question, 'do you really want to know?'

Some things were just better left untouched.

Many of the students bid the pair good day as they headed home. Both of them were famous around the school in their own right, for their looks as well as their behaviour during these two years that they had spent in high school. Nothing further needed to be said about Rin, but Kirika was known amongst the students as 'Homurabara's Browny' and 'Belldandy v.2.0.' after the famous manga character. She had other nicknames as well, not as nice as the ones before. 'The idiot with the toolkit' was one after her tendency to do anything that was asked of her including repairs of equipment around the school, 'Miss Naivete' was another popular title, especially amongst the female population of the school who didn't know whether to be relieved or exasperated by Kirika's total obliviousness to romance.

"Emiya, Tohsaka," a familiar voice called out to them as the two exited the main building. "Going straight home again?"

"Mitsuzuri? Shouldn't you be getting changed by now?" Rin asked as Kirika greeted their mutual friend.

"Fujimura sensei is in there so it doesn't matter if I am a few minutes late today," Mitsuzuri Ayako replied with an overly friendly smile as she came up to them.

"Getting lax with your duties as a captain are we Mitsuzuri?" Rin crossed her arms and took a step to the side to come between Ayako and Kirika. "Pity, I expected you to show more responsibility than that."

Ayako clicked her tongue as she was foiled in her approach. "Oh but I am showing responsibility Tohsaka. It's the captain's job to make sure that wayward members attend isn't it?"

"Hmm? I don't see any of your club members here Mitsuzuri," Rin said with the beginnings of another angelic smile on her face.

"Finally going blind are we? She's standing right behind you," Ayako said in reply.

"I never recall giving Kirika permission to join the Archery club," Rin mused whimsically.

"I don't recall you ever getting control over Emiya's personal life Tohsaka," Ayako replied with a grin.

"Eh? Eh?" Caught in between her friends, Kirika was looking between one and the other without a clue as to what she should say or do.

"We are busy today so give up Mitsuzuri," Rin announced. "Judging from past experience, you probably need to go and fetch seaweed head anyway."

"... It hurts that I can't deny that," Ayako groaned as she remembered what she had come out to do before she caught sight of the two.

"Bye Mitsuzuri!" Rin said with a cheerful wave as she began to drag Kirika out towards the gate.

Giving up for the day Ayako smiled and waved back. "Bye you two. Emiya, just forget about what Rin says and come out to the dojo once in a while. You are welcome at any time okay?"

"Maybe someday," Kirika was able to answer before she got too far off to talk without shouting.

As soon as they were far enough away from the school that there were no other people to overhear, Rin took down the facade of a perfect student that she wore in public and looked at Kirika with accusing eyes.

"What? What is it Rin?" asked Kirika, flustered by the way Rin was acting. She couldn't recall doing anything wrong, so she had no idea why Rin was looking at her like this.

"Kiri~ka," Rin sang in a light voice. "How many times have I told you not to fall for the next sob story you hear?"

"Oh, that," Kirika chuckled nervously as she tried not to meet Rin's eyes. "I was just trying to help."

"That's what you say every time," Rin said in a frustrated voice. "You are a mage, not some kind of good samaritan. You need to start getting used to the idea of equivalent exchange soon or you are going to have a lot of problems once you start working."

"..." Kirika visibly drooped. "But I don't have any talent as a mage. Even Kirei said so, that I would be better off as a magic user. Can't I just do what I want to do and help people out?"

"Kirika..." Rin frowned at Kirika's lack of motivation. "Don't pay attention to what that pseudo-priest says. You are my apprentice, and no one taught by a member of the Tohsaka family is going to end up as some amateur magic user." Under her breath Rin added something about not letting that much power be wasted. "You can help people out too. It's just that you need to start grasping the idea of getting something back for your help."

Kirika looked puzzled. "... But you aren't supposed to ask for payment when you help people."

"Ugh," Rin palmed her face as the usual headache that came with any discussion of Kirika's annoying habit began to make its presence known. "You... Never mind Kirika. It's not as if we can repair that broken down personality of yours in a few days after the years we've spent on it."

"... ?" It was clear that Kirika couldn't connect the dots here.

Rin sighed. It was hard looking after an apprentice as oblivious to her faults as Kirika was. Better to just ignore the issue and focus on the work she was going to have to do tonight.

-x-x-x-

"... Rin. Do we have to do this?"

"It's the easiest way Kirika. Or do you want me to 'violate' you again?"

"... I think this will do just fine."

"Good, now shut up and close your eyes already."

In a basement beneath the Tohsaka manor, two girls were kneeling in front of each other with a simply adorned dagger beside them. Kirika had her eyes closed and had a nervous air about her, a mental state shared by Rin though to a lesser degree. Taking a deep breath, Rin put something in her mouth and leant forward. Then, in an act that would have stunned the entire school if anyone found out about it, she covered Kirika's soft lips with her own.

"Mmph!" Kirika whimpered softly and jumped as contact was made.

Rin drew back a little and opened her eyes. "Stay still," she said awkwardly before she resumed the kiss. Raven black veiled copper brown as Rin's hair fell down to frame Kirika's face.

Cheeks red with embarassment and hints of other emotions, Kirika's eyes flew wide open as a foreign presence invaded her mouth. She would have drawn back, but this time Rin was prepared and held her steadfast against herself in a lover's embrace. The kiss continued for a long brief moment, and Kirika moaned as Rin forced her lips slightly open and passed her fluids through.

Then, finally, it was over. Freed from Rin's hold upon her, Kirika collapsed and let out a moan that was half of pleasure and half pain as something connected inside her, the unfamiliar energy burning her body inside and out as her circuits reacted to the intrusion. For herself, Rin had turned away and was crouched down with her head upon her knees. Her posture made it impossible to see her face, but from the way that even her neck was red it was entirely possible that she was blushing fiercely.

"Hah, hah, hah, hah," Taking heavy breaths, Kirika finally recovered enough energy to speak. "I ask again, hah, did we really have to do it this way?"

"It's not as if I wanted to do this either, but any other way would have been painful for you and the pass wouldn't have been as strong, and I suppose it wasn't that unpleasant, but that was my first... Wait what am I saying, this was just us connecting a pass. It doesn't count. It can't count. I can't have just given my first kiss to another girl, even if her lips were so soft...," Rin mumbled incoherently as she rocked back and forth.

"Say again?" Kirika asked innocently. She couldn't hear anything of what Rin was saying.

"Ahhhh! What am I saying?" Rin suddenly screamed out loud and then surprised her by leaping up and grasping her by the collar of her shirt. "That was just us connecting a pass. Do you understand Kirika? We just connected a pass in order to share prana. It does **not** count as anything else. Alright?"

Frozen by the force behind Rin's words, Kirika could only nod instinctively in order to avoid the death that was promised by those frosty blue eyes should she do anything else.

Satisfied, Rin let go, and Kirika fell back down. "Start preparing the summoning circle when you have recovered then Kirika. I will help once I've finished getting everything ready."

"Okay," Kirika replied as she tried to get back up to her feet, only to collapse as her legs refused to work properly. "Ah... This might take a while."

Rin nodded absently as she dug out a small box from amidst a pile of containers holding everything required for the summoning ritual. "Your circuits are fused with your nerves like Kirei told you before, so you might be a little unsteady until your body gets used to the pass being there. Just sit tight until you recover."

Kirika accepted the explanation and sat there quietly as Rin proceeded to get this and that and rearrange it all for easy access. A few minutes went by this way before she felt that she could stand up again.

"That felt strange," she complained to Rin as she got to her feet. "Kind of like that time I nearly burnt out my circuits that first year."

"Don't remind me," Rin grumbled. "I still get nervous when I think about that. Do you know how worried I was when I realised that your circuits were out of control? Geez, you know you could have died then."

"Hee hee, thanks Rin," Kirika chuckled. "No need to worry anymore though. My control has improved a lot since then."

"Thank goodness," Rin mumbled as she embedded an Amethyst on one of the polar points in the circle that had been sketched out on the floor.

"But you know Rin," Kirika said with a small frown marring her brow. "Don't you have enough prana for the ritual already?"

"It never hurts to have more," Rin shrugged. "Besides, it's not as if you don't have any to spare. Your circuits are always overflowing with more prana than you can use."

Kirika sighed. "Even so Rin, that was my first -"

Kirika was interrupted by Rin's shrill shriek. "That wasn't a kiss! We were just connecting a pass okay? It was a ritual! Not a kiss! I can't have given my first kiss to another girl! I can't have!"

"Eh? Rin? Calm down!" Kirika attempted to soothe Rin's temper, but it was already too late.

"It was my first kiss too you idiot!" Rin shouted as the crest of the Tohsaka family began to glow with a bright blue light.

An explosion rocked the house, and smoke began to stream out from the shattered windows that looked into the basement.

-x-x-x-

The clock struck 2, an hour of the night when most humans would be asleep.

"Das Material ist aus Silber und Eisen."

Ye first, O silver, O iron

In the basement of the Tohsaka mansion however, two young women stood in and around a circle that glowed with a bright red light.

"Der Grundstein ist aus Stein und dem Gro?erzog des Vertrag.

O stone of the foundation, O Archduke of the Contract

Der Ahn ist mein gro?r Meister Schweinorg."

Hear me in the name of our great teacher, the Archmagus Schweinorg

On the edge of the circle, Kirika squinted as the light from the circle grew brighter, fuelled by the prana being pulled out of both herself and the gems that Rin had saved for this day.

" Schutz gegen einen heftigen Wind.

Let the descending winds be as a wall

Schlie?alle Tore, geh aus der Krone, zirkulier die Gabelung nach dem K?ig.

Let the gates in all directions be shut, rising above the crown, and let the three-forked roads to the Kingdom revolve.

F?l, f?l, f?l, f?l, f?l.

Shut. Shut. Shut. Shut. Shut.

Es wird f?fmal wiederholt.

Five perfections for each repetition.

Nur ist es die volle Zeit gebrochen.

And now, let the filled sigils be annihilated in my stead!

－Satz."

Set.

Red was joined by a spectrum of other colours in the circle, a sign that the gems embedded into its structure were releasing and transforming the prana as they were meant to. The strain grew as Rin exhausted her own reserves and actively began to pull prana through the pass that had been created earlier. It was an uncomfortable feeling, much like having a raw electric current run through your body, but Kirika bore it without so much as a whisper. Compared to the circuit forging she did every day the pain was still bearable. She worried instead for Rin who had to handle all that power. One mistake here and it was unlikely that she would survive.

Du ?berläßt alles mir, mein Schicksal ?berläßt alles deinem Schwert.

Let thy body rest under my dominion, let my fate rest in thy blade.

Das basiert auf dem Gral, antwort wenn du diesem Willen und diesem Vernunftgrund folgst.

If thou submittest to the call of the Holy Grail and if thou wilt obey this mind, this reason, then thou shalt respond.

A final flaring of light, a pure white luminescence created by the union of the radiation from the various gems around the circle. Magnificient, that was the only way to describe it. Kirika knew very well that a ritual of this level was far beyond her crude skills, and she grinned wryly as she closed her eyes to protect her sight.

Rin's voice picked up as she entered into the final, crucial stage of the summoning. Kirika could feel that they were both at their limits, but Rin continued to pour prana into the circle without hesitation. All to overcome the barriers between this world and the next, putting everything on the line in order to obtain the greatest reward.

"Liegt das Gel?bde hier.

I make my oath here.

Ich bin die G?te der ganzen Welt.

I am that person who is to become the virtue of all Heavens.

Ich bin das B?se der ganzen Welt.

I am that person who is covered with the evil of all Hades.

Du bist der Himmel mit dreien Wortseelen.

Thou seven heavens, clad in a trinity of words,

Komm, aus dem Kreis der Unterdr?ckung, der Schutzgeist der Balkenwaage－!"

come past thy restraining rings, and be thou the hands that protect the balance-!

A burst of light, then darkness. The sudden absence of illumination meant that Kirika couldn't see anything when she opened her eyes again, but even so she could tell that something was wrong.

"Nothing?" Rin whispered. "But that's -."

*CRASH* *Cr-THUD* *CRASH*

Rin looked at Kirika, Kirika looked back at Rin.

"Upstairs!" they said at the same time.

Kirika was the first to move, instinctively acting to encounter the unknown first so as to reduce the risk to Rin. With dagger in hand Kirika rushed up the stairs, when she got to the top she kicked the door open and followed straight through to catch whoever was behind the door by surprise. She soon found however that she needn't have bothered.

Sitting there, sprawled out amongst the ruins of what had once been an elegantly furnished lounge, was something that 'was not human'.

"What a rough summon," the 'being' grumbled as he extracted himself from the wreckage.

"Kirika!" Rin cried out as she came up. "Is everything alright?"

The 'man' that Kirika presumed was a servant raised an eyebrow as Rin burst into the room. "Tohsaka? Wait, two mages? Which one of you amateurs is my master?"

"A-a-amateurs?" Rin was shocked beyond words for a moment. "What kind of thing to say to your master is that? Wait, what kind of servant are you in the first place?"

"Servant Archer, at your service," the bronze skinned servant answered with a mocking grin. "Like what you see?"

"Archer?" Rin fell to her knees. "We poured in all that prana and I summoned an Archer instead of Saber? That doesn't make sense. What happened to equivalent exchange? What did I do wrong to get a weak servant like this?"

"Hey, hey, I'm standing right here girl," the servant looked displeased with Rin's dismissal of his ability. "Isn't a bit rude to call someone weak to their faces?"

Kirika was still weary of the servant for some reason, but she couldn't help but giggle as Rin realised her mistake and tried to rearrange her expression.

"It's not funny Kirika," Rin snapped at her with a blush on her face. "I apologise for my rudeness servant Archer, but please understand that the nature of your arrival has us a little off balance."

"I suppose it would," Archer said sarcastically. "It's my first time arriving in such a rough manner too. Did you draw the summoning circle with your foot or something?"

Rin visibly shook with rage as the servant yet again dismissed her skills. She tried to stand up in order to teach the rude servant a lesson but faltered on her first step as her legs gave out underneath her.

"Whoa, easy there master," said Archer. "No matter how crude the summon was you have got to be tired from it. Go take a nap or something, you look like you could do with some beauty sleep. It certainly wouldn't hurt your bust."

That was the last straw. Kirika flinched and backed away as Rin began to laugh softly, and she imagined that she saw a dark red aura fill the air around the other girl as she got to her feet again.

"Hu hu hu, I am amateur am I? A flat-chested kid? Very well Archer, I will take your advice and go to sleep for the day," Rin spoke in a sibilant tone that seemed to fill the air. "But while I'm sleeping, why don't you make yourself useful and clean the room?"

Archer's grin froze upon his face. "Huh? What did you just say master?"

Rin smiled. "Clean the room Archer."

"Yeah, that's what I thought you said," Archer said slowly. "I think you need to go and get your head checked master. I can't think of any other reason a mage would summon a Servant and then tell them to clean a room."

"Oh, but my head's perfectly fine Archer," Rin replied. "Now, be a good familiar and clean the room."

"... You have got to be kidding me," Archer said incredulously.

"Uhm, Rin? I'll take care of it so why don't you go to sleep?" Kirika butted in to try and stave off what she suspected would be a spectacular display of stupid pride on Rin's part.

"That wont do Kirika," Rin said firmly as she stared down the rebellious servant. "You are tired as well and we have a lot of work to do tomorrow as well. You are going to go to sleep with me."

"Huh. Not only did I get summoned by amateurs, but my master is a lesbian?" Archer seemed even more surprised than his statement would allow for some reason.

Rin realised what she had said and blushed fiercely. "It's not like that! Ahhhhhh! That's it!"

Archer and Kirika's eyes grew wide as Rin rolled up her sleeve.

"Uh, master? What are you doing?"

"Rin? You can't be thinking to..."

"Shut up and obey me!" Rin shouted, ignoring their questions.

One of the command seals on Rin's hand flashed red for a second before it disappeared. The effect was immediately visible as Archer seemed to freeze for a moment before he sat up. However, the power required to use the command seal in such a manner appeared to be the last stroke for Rin, as she collapsed in a heap into Kirika's arms.

"Rin? Are you okay?" Kirika asked, worried for her friend and teacher's health.

"I forgot..." Rin mumbled, her eyes half closed already.

"... ?" Kirika blinked. "What did you forget?"

Rin slumped even further, her eyes shutting slowly. "The clocks... They are all one hour fast right now... One... Not two..."

Kirika thought over what Rin had said as she rearranged Rin so that she would be more comfortable. One? Not two? Oh, the time. Now that she thought about it, Rin had purposely waited for two o'clock when the heavens would be in perfect alignment with her powers. If her clocks were an hour fast...

She looked at the clock. Four past two, or rather four past one. Heh, that figured.

"Looks like the Tohsaka curse strikes yet again," Kirika whispered softly as she lifted Rin up in order to take her to her room.

"You going to be alright taking her up like that?" Archer asked, surprisingly her with the concern she could hear in his voice.

"I will be fine Archer-san," she replied, reassessing her opinion of the servant in her mind. He was actually an okay guy. "I'm stronger than I look."

"You would have to be," Archer stated as he looked over the girl whose arms were as thin as sticks.

Kirika rolled her eyes, used to the dismissal of her physical abilities by others when they first met her. "Well, I apologise on Rin's behalf Archer-san. She's actually much more considerate than this. I think it was just the fatigue from the summon coupled with the shock of summoning you when she fully expected to get a Saber out of the whole deal that threw her off balance."

"Yeah I know," Archer smiled, then paused. "I mean, I can tell."

Kirika smiled. "That's good. Are you going to clean up the room like she asked though?" she asked as she shifted her hold on Rin's body to a bridal carry.

"Heh, might as well," Archer replied. "I don't have anything else to do and I may as well make myself useful."

"Thanks Archer-san," Kirika said. She suppressed a sudden urge to yawn and realised that she too needed some rest. "I will leave you to it then. I need to get Rin to her room before my legs give out on me."

"Good night," Archer waved at her flippantly. "Oh, and by the way, what's your name?"

Kirika stopped at the doorway and looked back. "I'm Emiya Kirika, Archer-san. You can tell me your true name tomorrow when Rin's awake."

Having said that Kirika left with Rin in her arms. Her limbs felt heavier with every step she took, but she needed to get to Rin's room at least before she closed her eyes.

Behind her, in the wrecked lounge, Archer stood frozen where he stood. Surprise evident upon his face.

"Emiya... Kirika?" he muttered in a puzzled tone. "What kind of world am I in now?"

**1-2**

As usual it started with chaos. A storm of swirling colours inside her head.

_Input processing disconnected. Error. Erosion of mental landscape. Error. Analysis impossible. Error. Source containment failure. Error. Error. Error. Error. Error. Error. Error. FJsdsfidhf9sdh813xc9 i8h0wrhjodijgs a9iug0wj2e0n 0s098stuwrtw0e9ut09su0au st9jw0g9hddksdapocb0idj- -_

...

Sudden silence. As if nothing had ever happened.

The colours faded to reveal an empty void. In the far off distance Kirika thought that she saw pinpricks of light, as varied in their colours as there were stars in the night sky. It was hard to tell though. They were too far away for her to even confirm their existence.

It used to be that the dream ended here, leaving her confused and bewildered as to what it meant. Lately however another section had been added, and she waited for them to appear.

Finally, they slowly coalesced into being. Two golden swords, both a promise of victory, yet so very different in their origins.

One a solemn promise to uphold an oath, a king's authority.

The other a promise formed from the collective dreams of man, magnificent glory.

She couldn't see them properly yet, let alone touch them, but this was enough for now. They became clearer every day. Some day she would be able to reach them, and possibly even recreate them. For now however, just this brief glance was enough.

It was just a shame that she could never remember what they looked like when she woke up.

-x-x-x-

Dawn. As usual, morning started early for Kirika.

"Ugh, that dream again..." Kirika groaned, her voice muffled by the sheets. "Hu... Wha~?" she then mumbled as she realised that she couldn't get up from the bed.

Rubbing her eyes, Kirika looked to see what the problem was and spotted the obstruction immediately. A pair of slim arms around her waist and shoulders.

... Ah. She was in Rin's bed again. How had she gotten here?

Lying still for now, she went through her memories of last night for an explanation of her current situation. Just three years ago she would have been unable to think by now, but after the constant harassment teasing that she had suffered at Rin's hands she had been desensitised enough that she could calmly accept the situation as it stood. It wasn't as if there was any sexual overtones anyway. They were both girls after all.

Last night. What had they been doing again? Something about summoning. Rin had been busy preparing for whatever it was all week, and they had even gone so far as to create a pass between...

Kirika blushed and pulled her body slightly back from Rin's. Desensitised to skinship she may have been, but being this close to Rin's sleeping face while remembering the... Connection ritual... From last night...

"Muuu..." It was embarassing just thinking about it.

With that memory in mind, Kirika decided that she better get up. She had her morning schedule to get through and she was going to go to sleep again if she stayed in bed any longer.

When she tried to get out of bed however, she ran into trouble as Rin tightened her hold upon her.

"Not again," Kirika sighed as Rin clutched her to her chest. "Rin, let me go." Kirika poked Rin in the face to try and provoke a reaction. She quickly got one as Rin swatted her finger away with her hand. Kirika didn't waste the opportunity and quickly pulled away from the other girl.

"Mmm... Cold..." Rin whimpered in her sleep as the cold morning air hit her where Kirika's body had been.

"There, there," Kirika covered Rin up again with the sheet. "Sleep tight Rin, I'll wake you up later."

Chuckling to herself, Kirika stroked Rin's head a few times, and got the usual reaction as Rin purred in her sleep like some lazy cat. She could have stayed like that for a while, as she sometimes did, but her diligence got the better of her and she went out to start on her morning work.

Coming down the stairs, Kirika was surprised to hear something moving around in the kitchen. An intruder? She couldn't sense any errors in the wards that plastered the mansion. How had they gotten in here?

"Trace, on." Activating her circuits, Kirika quickly began to project a simple steel baton into her hand. Unlike Rin she didn't have any spells that she could use to defend herself, so the acquisition of a weapon was a high priority.

"Possibility aligned. Structure confirmed. Set." A few short seconds after she had begun, a fifty centimetre baton appeared in her grasp.

Armed and on guard, she slowly crept down the stairs making as little noise as possible. When she reached the door to the kitchen, she paused for a moment, then dashed in with her weapon held high.

"Hyah!"

"Huh?"

Kirika struck at the white haired stranger in the kitchen, and was surprised when the man reacted faster than she had thought possible to dodge the attack and then kick her hard enough to knock her back.

"Kyaah!" she shrieked as she hit the wall.

"Who the -... Wait, weren't you with my master? What the heck did you think you were doing?" asked the man in the red cloak.

"Ow... Master?" Kirika looked at the intruder and finally remembered who he was. "Oh! I'm sorry Archer-san. I thought you were an intruder."

"Hah..." Archer let out a heavy sigh. "Try and remember when a heroic spirit has been summoned will you?"

"Heh heh," Kirika smiled sheepishly and got up.

Archer shook his head ruefully. Rin's tendency to mess up at crucial moments was bad enough but he didn't know what he was going to do if he had to deal with this ditzy girl as well. Lamenting his fate, Archer was about to go back to cleaning up the kitchen when the steel baton that Kirika had projected caught his eyes.

"Is something wrong Archer-san?" asked Kirika who had noticed that he had frozen up.

"What? Oh, no, nothing," Archer scratched his chin. "Just thinking about something."

"Oh, okay," Kirika was a bit curious but accepted his answer. She was about to go out when she realised something and turned to face Archer again. "Archer-san? Are you hungry? If you are looking for something to eat I could prepare a meal for you."

Archer blinked. "Thanks, but that won't be necessary. I just need prana from my master to survive. Why do you ask?"

Kirika tilted her head to the side. "Uhm, it's just that you were in the kitchen, and..."

"Just following my master's orders kid," Archer told her with a smirk. "Now that you mention it though, are you hungry? I could whip something up for you if you are."

Kirika quickly shook her head. "Oh no, there's no need for that Archer-san. I need to go and do some things right now." She paused. "Wait, you can cook?"

"Can I cook?" Archer snorted. "If cooking was an Olympic sport I could take a silver medal at the least."

In light of that prideful boast, Kirika gave him a dumbfounded look, as if to say 'what kind of heroic spirit are you?'. Understandable, as cooking wasn't usually something heroes of legend were famous for.

"Ah... okay then," Kirika decided to leave that issue aside for now. "See you a bit later then Archer-san. It probably won't happen but if Rin comes out please tell her I'm in the back yard."

"What are you going to be doing?" Archer said curiously.

Kirika smiled sheepishly again. "Just some sorcery and martial arts practice. It's a morning ritual of mine."

"Hoh?" An interested light appeared in Archer's eyes when she mentioned sorcery. "Do you mind if I take a look then?"

"Hwah?" Kirika blushed. "Uhm, ah, I'm just an amateur, and ah..."

"Don't worry, I won't make fun of you or anything," Archer said with a smirk. "I'm just a bit bored right now."

"Well... I guess it would be okay..." Kirika said weakly.

"Good, lead on then kiddo."

Kirika's embarassment lasted until they got out to the small garden behind the mansion. Flustered and red faced, she was unsettled as she tried to calm herself in preparation for her daily ritual, but the serious nature of the task meant that Kirika soon reimposed control of her emotions.

"Trace on," Kirika whispered as she imagined the activation of her circuits.

Archer found one thing odd with Kirika's preparations as she began her practice. Though his memories were faded and patchy in places, he still remembered the long and tedious times he had spent practising his misguided sorcery in the shed. Part of that memory was the fact that he had needed to be sitting down in order to concentrate enough to reinforce or project anything.

This Kirika girl on the other hand, if she was what he suspected she was, had to be a lot more advanced than he had been at her age. She had to be if she was performing a tai chi sequence as she was projecting a pair of plain Chinese dao (dao - one sided chinese swords, similar to Kanshou and Bakuya).

While Archer was lost in his thoughts, Kirika had blocked out the world until the only things that she perceived were the two blades in her hand and her movements. Step, swerve, step, turn. Arms outstretched, blades turning slowly around the crux of her body. Moving at a constant pace that was neither fast nor forceful, but held an elegance and balance that characterised the Tai Chi Chuan style that she had learned and practiced. Every once in a while she would dismiss the blades, than switch to a sequence that only involved the use of her body. When that cycle was finished she would make another circuit in her mind, project another set of dao, and reinforce the projected steel to the limits of her ability as she moved. This exercise was one that Rin had commonly referred to as a suicide wish until they had found some of Kiritsugu's notes on the matter.

After an indefinite length of time, Kirika finally finished the last of her morning sequences, and came to a stop as she let her blades fade away.

It wasn't until she heard the clapping that she remembered that Archer was behind her, and she blushed heavily as she realised that he had watched the whole thing.

"Nicely done kiddo," Archer said as he clapped. "Tai chi chuan?"

Kirika nodded shyly. "Qing'un, Yin nidoryuu," she told him the name of the style and the substyle that she practiced.

"Twin dao huh," Archer muttered, a hint of bitterness in his audible in his voice for some reason. "When did you start learning?"

"Four years ago," Kirika replied as she wiped away some sweat from her brow. The forms themselves weren't that exhausting, but the strain of projecting and wielding the weighty swords took a lot out of her. "Rin and father Kotomine up at the church insisted that I learn some kind of martial arts and tai chi was the one that I like best of their choices. Only been two years since I started with the swords though."

"About those," Archer interjected. "Why do you project them? Wouldn't it be more efficient for you to carry a pair rather than using Gradation Air like that?"

Kirika shrugged. "That's what Rin suggested when I started, but for some reason my projection works a lot better than other people's." She projected another sword to make her point, and the finished blade lay in her hand in only a few seconds later. "Swords are even easier."

Archer wasn't sure what to think or feel as Kirika smiled proudly at him. The evidence at hand suggested that she was who he suspected she was, but if that were so he wasn't sure what he would do. It would all have been a lot easier and straight-forward if she had been a guy like she should have been...

With the mood of a drowning man clutching at straws, Archer decided to ask the question that would confirm once and for all the hypothesis that he had reached.

"Hey kid, do you have a brother?" he asked.

"A brother?" Kirika shook her head. "No, why do you ask?"

"No reason," Archer sighed and pulled an excuse out of his pocket. "I just thought for a second that you have the air of an older sister that's all."

Kirika looked at the servant strangely. What had she said or done to give him that idea?

"Maybe it's because I'm always looking after Rin," she joked as she headed back inside.

"Maybe," Archer said with a shrug as he followed her. "Lord knows she needs it," he muttered as some memories floated up.

"Did you say something Archer-san?" Kirika asked, paused in the midst of opening the door.

Archer waved her off. "Nah, let's go inside. I will prepare breakfast for you and my master so go take a shower."

"Thanks Archer-san!" Kirika called out as she went towards the bathroom.

When she had gone Archer sighed heavily and scratched his head. All that time waiting for a chance to kill Emiya Shirou, and when he finally got here it turns out that he's in a parallel world where he had been born a girl. Great.

"Real funny World, real funny," he grumbled as he threw away his plans for revenge upon himself.

The World had to be behind this, he just knew it. When would the damn bitch tire of using him as its whipping horse? Ah, screw it. He may as well focus on the Grail War for now. Who knew? Maybe he could use it to break the contract.

-x-x-x-

"Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something?" Kirika mumbled as she finished wiping down after the shower.

Draping a bathrobe around herself, she made sure that the towel around her hair was tight enough that she wouldn't drip any water on the carpet. This was harder than it sounded, as her waist length hair tended to soak up a lot of moisture which took forever to dry properly. If she had been left to her own devices she would have tired of the effort it took to take care of those long copper brown strands years ago, and would probably have cut it short to around her neck like Mitsuzuri did. When she had first suggested such however, Rin had made such a fuss about a mage's hair being their life that she had kept it long ever since. Using conditioners and drying her hair slowly so as to avoid split ends was also a habit by now after four years of Rin demanding that she take care of her hair properly. She didn't really get why Rin put up such a fuss about the whole deal. After all, it wasn't as if she could store much prana in her hair like Rin could. Sympathetic spells were possibly a cause for worry, but who was going to curse a second-rate mage like her any time soon?

Kirika had her suspicions, especially after years of Rin and Kirei playing around with her, but as yet she had never been able to obtain any conclusive evidence that Rin's demands that she keep her hair long were for her amusement. Maybe next year.

Drying off and changing into uniform took half an hour, and by the time she got out Archer had set out breakfast.

"Mmm, that smells nice," Kirika voiced her thoughts as she came into the kitchen.

"Of course it does, I made it didn't I?" Archer replied pridefully. "Now, could you go and get my master? She should wake up about now if she plans to get to school."

Kirika looked at the clock. Seven thirty. Archer was right.

"She's normally up by now," said Kirika, but she was already moving. "I guess she must have been more tired than I thought."

"Whatever," Archer shrugged. "Just tell her to come down."

Kirika nodded and went to fetch Rin. She was about to open the door when it opened by itself. Through the open door came a zombie, who immediately draped itself over Kirika and almost pulled her down with its weight.

"Good morning Rin," Kirika sighed as she identified the undead monster.

"M'rn'ng," Rin mumbled back, her face buried in Kirika's free flowing hair.

"Wake up already Rin," Kirika fussed as she tried to stand her friend up. Possibly related to a vampire the Tohsaka's might be, but Rin's weakness in the mornings bordered upon the ridiculous.

All of Kirika's efforts amounted to very little as Rin's body slumped again. This time in a manner so that Rin's face was buried in Kirika's chest. Kirika was about to pull her back up when Rin suddenly twitched.

"Kirika?" Rin mumbled.

"Yes?" Kirika replied. "What is it?"

Rin's answer came in the form of a hand that came up to squeeze Kirika's chest.

"Hii! Rin?" Kirika squealed as Rin massaged that delicate part of her body.

Still visibly out of it, Rin looked up and threw an annoyed glare at her. "You got bigger again!" she cried out, and she accentuated her words with another squeeze that drew a startled gasp from her poor victim.

"Mmph! Rin! Stop it!" Kirika was finally able to wrestle Rin's hand away, and pulled back to a safe distance.

"Its not fair," Rin muttered darkly as Kirika drew away. "You eat the same as I do, and it's not as if you exercise any more than me. Is it because you do Tai Chi? Is that it?"

Kirika palmed her face. This sort of thing was why she didn't like to wake Rin up in the mornings.

Rin's tirade against the injustices of human physiology lasted until she arrived at the bathroom, and Kirika let out a relieved sigh when after a quick shower Rin completely recovered from the weird funk that she had been in.

"Good morning Kirika," Rin greeted demurely her as she came out. It was almost as if she didn't remember anything of what she had done and said just a few minutes ago.

"... Morning Rin," replied Kirika, who knew better from bitter experience.

The two then went down into the dining room, where Rin was surprised by the fact that Archer had made breakfast. When Kirika added that he had also fixed the lounge she gave her a disbelieving look and went off to check before she came back again.

They then sat down to eat and Kirika had take the first bite from the omelette that Archer had made when she froze up.

"Rin," she said in a monotone.

"Kirika," Rin answered from across the table, also in a monotone.

""..."" A moment of silence as the two looked at each other. Then...

""We've lost..."" the two admitted as they slumped in defeat.

Behind them, Archer smirked as he enjoyed his small victory.

-x-x-x-

One short conversation and a formal exchange of names later, Kirika and Rin were off to school, with Archer following close behind in spiritual form. It was another fine day, and they enjoyed the sunny weather as they walked along the road.

"Make sure you go straight home after school, okay Kirika?" Rin told her troublesome apprentice as they neared the school grounds. "I'll be annoyed with you if I hear that you stayed behind again."

"I can't help it today though," Kirika complained. "It's my turn on the duty roster."

Rin frowned. "Is it? That's troublesome. I was planning to go and look around town with Archer after school today."

"Go ahead Rin," said Kirika. "It's not as if I'm a little kid who needs to be picked up every day."

Rin sighed. "No, you are worse."

"Rin..." Kirika pouted.

"I'm joking, I'm joking," Rin laughed. "Fine, but make sure you go straight home after you are done okay?"

Kirika rolled her eyes. "Yes mother."

"Sensei you mean," Rin half joked.

It was at that moment that they crossed the threshold to the school proper, and both of them instantly stopped and looked around.

"You feel it too?" Rin asked out loud.

"Yes, it feels... Sticky," Kirika replied as she closed her eyes to get a better sense of what she felt.

"Master, there's a field of some sort around the school," reported Archer who hadn't said much up to now. He was still in spirit form so it was as if a ghost had suddenly started talking. Which was what it was in a sense.

"Stay close to me Archer," Rin ordered. "Kirika, you too. You are staying with me until I've figured out what this ward is meant to do."

Kirika nodded, and then pointed in the direction of a nearby classroom. "The closest concentration of energy that I can feel is over there."

Knowing that Kirika's sense for these kind of things was better than hers, Rin took her word for the truth and quickly led the way towards the abnormality that Kirika had sensed. When they got closer Kirika pointed out the general area that the thing lay in, which let Rin narrow down her search to a small area from which she was quickly able to locate the sigil.

Marking the one that they had found, Rin and Kirika then moved onto the next location that Kirika sensed. Three such trips later, they had found enough that Rin was able to get a general idea of what the ward was meant to do.

"What kind of idiot put this here?" Rin muttered darkly as she straightened up. "If this thing activates all the students in this school are going to be turned into pools of blood. Doesn't whoever set this in place know that this kind of thing blows secrecy out of the water?"

"Can't you dispel it Rin?" asked Kirika whose face had been pale since Rin mentioned that the ward was meant to liquefy all humans inside it.

"Impossible," Rin said with a firm shake of the head. "The complexity of the ward is frankly ridiculous. There hasn't been much effort made to hide it, but the ward itself is a self regenerating mystery. I couldn't get rid of it completely even if I brought down the entire building."

"What can we do then?" asked Kirika. "We can't just leave it here."

Rin examined the sigil once again. "It seems like there are still a few days to go until it can activate. I think we can delay it by destroying some of these sigils, but like I said before, it will just keep making more."

"Are you going to?" Archer asked. "If we mess with the ward it will warn whoever created it that we are onto them."

Rin smiled confidently. "Let them. No Tohsaka is going to lose against the kind of trash that would do this sort of thing . Or don't you think you can handle a fight Archer?"

Archer grinned back at her. "Like I said before Rin, I am the best. So bring it on."

As the two matched opinions, Kirika smiled at the interplay between Rin and Archer. She had been thinking this since the morning, but these two really did suit each other.

-x-x-x-

It was when she entered the classroom that Kirika realised what she had forgotten.

"KI~RI~KA!"

"!"

Before she could react, a tiger in human form leapt upon her, and promptly proceeded to stretch her cheeks with its claws.

"Ow, ow, ow! Whababu dooyung Fufi-nee?" Kirika spluttered as best as she could with her mouth stretched out.

"Kirika-chan, why didn't you make me breakfast like you promised?" Fujimura Raiga whined. "Has your love for your nee-chan cooled already? Did you forget about me?"

Fujimura sensei, also known as Taiga due to her surname and her energetic behaviour. Technical guardian and self-imposed sister to one Emiya Kirika.

"Ah," Kirika put a hand to her mouth in a sign of surprise. "That's what I forgot. Sorry Fuji-neechan."

"You did forget!" Taiga roared. "Ki~ri~ka! How could you!"

"Ow! Fuji-nee!" Subjected to a Taiga noogie special, Kirika sought a means of escape and found it when the bell rang. "Tai-, I mean, Fujimura sensei! It's time for homeroom!"

Taiga stopped with her arm still around Kirika's neck. "Oh, you are right."

Released from the headchoke, Kirika rubbed her head where Taiga's knuckles had rubbed the skin raw. "Ohhh, that hurt."

"Meh~!" Taiga stuck her tongue out at her before she realised that the entire class could see her. "Ahem, ah, go to your seat Kirika."

"Yes, sensei," Kirika replied as she smoothed her hair.

After that brief altercation, homeroom went by smoothly. Taiga nearly caused another commotion at the end, but Kirika managed to calm her down with a promise of lunchboxes for the next three days (the rest of the class gave her familiar looks of sympathy and amusement as she enacted the by now familiar Taiga taming routine). The other classes went by quickly too, and before she knew it, it was already time for lunch.

She was about to head for the roof when a boy stepped in front of her.

"Ah... Emiya-san, may I ask where you are going?" asked the popular student council president, who seemed strangely fired up.

"Ah, Issei-kun," Kirika smiled, as a whispering started up around the class. Issei was one of the few people she could call a friend at the school, and it was always nice to talk to him. "Sorry, but can we talk later? I told Rin that I would eat lunch with her."

Flinch. For some reason that she couldn't fathom, Issei's smile suddenly seemed forced. "Tohsaka... I see... Uhm... Ah..."

A long pause. It was strange, Kirika thought. Although Issei was so confident and smooth when speaking in front of the entire school, he often froze up like this when the two of them were talking.

"Well, see you later then Issei-kun," said Kirika when Issei didn't seem like he was going to say anything. She picked up the lunchbox that Archer-san had made and slipped past Issei towards the door.

"Ah... Ah..." Issei was left standing by himself as Kirika left the classroom.

"Crash and burn yet again," commented one of the guys in the class.

"When do you think Emiya will notice?" one of the girls wondered out loud.

"Never? I mean, she's a total rockhead when it comes to things like this," the girl next to her answered.

"Cheer up president," one of the boys said as he came by and clapped him on the back. "You will get her someday!"

"Ah... Argh! Curse you Tohsaka!" Issei shouted as he broke out of his daze. "I will free Emiya from your devilish clutches someday! I swear it!"

-x-x-x-

Up on the roof Rin suddenly had the urge to hit someone as she waited for Kirika to arrive.

"Is something wrong Rin?" asked Archer when she frowned.

Rin shook her head. "No, I just thought I heard something, that's all."

The door to the rooftop opened, and Kirika came out. A sudden gust of wind caught her free flowing hair and lashed her face, and Rin had the thought that it might be fun to play with Kirika's hair again with comfort as an excuse. A side ponytail maybe? Or maybe braids. Something to bring out the feminine side of that dolt who refused to take care of her appearance properly.

"Hey Rin, did you find any more of the sigils?" asked Kirika as she sat down next to her.

Rin shifted over to make some more room. "Yes, there's one right over there," Rin told Kirika as she pointed to a spot on the roof in front of them"

"Ooooo, how many of them are there?" Kirika said tiredly. "I found another one near my classroom, and I think there's one in the Archery dojo."

"Just ignore them for today," Rin told her. "I will do something about them tomorrow after we summon your servant."

Kirika froze and looked at her. "Huh? My servant?"

Rin blinked. "Well, of course. You didn't really think I was going to let you sit around while I fought did you?"

"Eh~?" Kirika was too surprised to eat as she stared at Rin. She hadn't said anything about this when they began preparations for the Grail War! This was too sudden!

"Besides," Rin said casually as she picked up an egg roll with her chopsticks. "I registered you as a participant with Kirei a month ago. You even have your command spells already."

... Huh? Kirika was lost for words as Rin turned around and complimented Archer on his cooking. A... Month ago? Registered? And... What command spells?

"Wait, wait, wait!" She called out, flustered beyond belief. "What command spells? I haven't seen anything on my hand!"

Rin's lips stretched upwards in a villainous grin. "Your hand? Why would it be on your hand?"

"... Huh?"

"I thought that you might have a nervous breakdown if you had to sit around for a whole month thinking about the war, so I decided to spare you the worry." Rin's smile was as bright as the sun now as she visibly enjoyed Kirika's growing discomfort. "Do you remember that tattoo I drew on you? The one on your chest?"

"Yes..." Kirika said hesitantly as she remembered the day when Rin had suddenly decided to practice body art using her as a base. Why did she think she knew what Rin was going to say next?

Rin took up Tohsaka lecture pose number one, with her left arm across her chest supporting her right which she used as a pointer. "That tattoo is actually a sigil that draws curses and other forms of physical enchantment towards it. I wasn't sure that it would work but since your command seal isn't on your hand I suppose it did."

Wide-eyed, Kirika quickly peeked inside her shirt to where the tattoo was, just above her left breast. Now that she thought about it, the tattoo did look different from how it had at first after Rin finished with her. Where once only a ring of vines and a lattice of gold threads had been, a gothic emblem now dominated the centre. Did that mean... ?

"So that's what your's looks like," Rin said as she suddenly took hold of Kirika's collar and pulled it down.

"Rin!" Kirika shouted as she tried to resist. The button was going to... Hey wait! Don't open the button damn it!

"Relax, relax, there's no one here to see us," Rin assuaged her.

"Archer's right behind you isn't he?" Kirika shouted as Rin tugged the top of her shirt down.

"He's not looking, or rather, he better not be," said Rin with a pleased smile on her face as she poked at the tattoo. "You are not looking, are you Archer?"

Archer didn't reply. He was too busy staring at the distant hills. Oh, hello. Was that a deer he could see over there? He hadn't thought there were any up here. Maybe he could get some time off one day to go hunting. Ladidadida, he couldn't hear a thing.

"Kyah! Rin!"

"Hee hee, are you ticklish there? Don't worry, it won't take long."

"Huah, ah!"

Not a thing.

-x-x-x-

"Oooooh... That was embarassing," Kirika muttered with her face against her desk.

After she had come down from the roof she had been subjected to a battery of questions as to why she was so red-faced, and why her shirt was so rumpled. She had stoically ignored the questions and the whispered discussions about whether the rumours about her and Rin's relationship were true, but it had been a close thing. It hadn't helped when a few of the boys had gathered at the back of the class around Mitoshi and begun to roar with approval as the wannabe mangaka drew something. What that had been, she didn't want to know. For Issei to go as red as a traffic light and tear the paper up, it had to have been something that would give her nightmares for the rest of her life.

"Bye Kirika-chan!"

"Bye Emiya."

Kirika looked up and waved as the last of her classmates left. Classes were over for the day and it was time to pack up and clean the classroom. It was her turn today so she really should get up and... Eh? Wait. Where were the other two that were supposed to be here? Ichino and... Momoi wasn't it?

Frowning, Kirika replayed her memories of the day.

"Ichino is sick," she mumbled as she thought back to the roll "And... Oh yeah, Momoi begged off because she needs to go and pick up her sister from kindergarten today. Which means..."

Kirika slumped and buried her face in her arms again. She was the only one here!

"Ah, Rin's going to be annoyed with me again," she groaned as she stood up to start cleaning.

True to her habit, Kirika wasn't one to do things haphazardly just because she didn't have help. Wiping the windows, brushing the floor, and so on. Kirika took care of it all with the skill born from ten years experience doing work around by house by herself.

Even so, there was a limit to what one human could accomplish, and it was long past the normal time to be off when Kirika was done.

"Hmmm, at least it's only four thirty," Kirika mumbled to herself as she finally headed out.

She was walking down the corridor when she spotted a girl from one of the other classes who looked troubled. Looking back and forth from the Archery dojo and the school gate, she seemed caught between two choices that she couldn't decide between.

"Uhm, can I help you?" Kirika asked as she drew closer. If Rin had seen this she would have said that Kirika's disease was acting up again.

"Huh? Oh, Emiya-san!" the girl's face lit up as she recognised her. How did she know who she was? Kirika thought about it and realised that the girl was one of the Archery club members.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Kirika repeated when the girl didn't say anything more.

"Uhm... Yes," the girl seemed embarassed. "Shinji-kun asked me to go and get something from the shops for him, but I need to go home soon. I hate to ask this of you, but could you get it for me instead?"

With a tentative smile on her face, the girl gave her a piece of paper. Kirika took it and realised that it was a short shopping list. Pastries, chocolates, nothing odd... Eh? Condoms? That idiot Matou! What was he thinking getting a girl to buy this sort of thing?

Blushing a bit, Kirika pocketed the list. "Tell that idiot that I've gone to get these. Not the condoms though. If that guy wants something like that he should get them himself."

The girl smiled sheepishly. "Ha ha, thanks Emiya-san, you really saved me."

"No problem," Kirika walked past her. "See you later."

"Bye, Emiya-san, thanks again!" the girl called out before she headed back into the dojo.

Kirika watched her go then resumed walking. The closest shops were in the market district so it wouldn't take her too long to buy the things then get back. Maybe she would take a short cut through the trees on the way back to save some time as well.

-x-x-x-

It turned out that the pastry shop was closed today, and Kirika ended up having to go halfway down to Shinto to the only other shop she knew. By the time she got back up to the school the sun was pretty low on the horizon, and the amber light that preceded sunset had dyed all the buildings orange.

Wanting to get the errand done and over with as quickly as possible, Kirika opted to take the short-cut through the trees on the side of the school. Climbing the fence was a bit of a challenge with the plastic bag in her hand and her backpack on her back, but she managed it with a bit of effort. From there it was just a short stroll through the treeline to get to the Archery dojo where the club members were probably packing up and preparing to leave for the day.

Kirika had only taken a few steps when she felt it, a cold stare that sent chills down her back.

She froze and looked around. Who was it, and why did she sense danger?

She had taken a few cautious steps forward when the source of the threat revealed itself. A woman, dressed in a revealing black one piece that did little to hide her sensuous body. Oddly enough, her eyes were covered by some sort of blind-fold, but Kirika knew that it was no obstruction to her sight.

Because she wasn't human.

Kirika gulped. If her suspicions were correct, this woman was another servant like Archer. The atmosphere she gave off wasn't as imposing as Rin's servant had been when he got serious, but it didn't change the fact that she was someone with abilities far beyond those of your normal human. Fight? Impossible, her instincts warned her that she would be killed in a matter of seconds. Flight? Could she get away from someone like this? Wait, was she even the target? There was nothing to reveal the fact that she was a mage, so maybe it was just bad luck that she had seen her.

That little hope died when the servant took of her blindfold.

Kirika suddenly found it hard to breathe as a pair of gem-like eyes bore into her. The lilac orbs seemed to expand until they began to fill her entire world, and it was hard to think of anything as the servant came closer and closer.

To all appearances, Kirika was perfectly enthralled. Which was why Rider was surprised to say the least when Kirika suddenly drew a dagger out of her bag and stabbed herself in the thigh with it.

"Ah!" Kirika gasped as she could suddenly breathe again. Then, she began to run as old lessons took over, throwing the bag with the groceries in it at the servant in an effort to buy time.

Shocked by Kirika breaking her binding, the servant was caught flat-footed as Kirika ran off. By the time she regained her wits the young mage was already ten metres away, and the servant quickly moved to follow.

Kirika's heart was pumping as she ran towards the front of the school, where she hoped the stragglers from the clubs would still be. She was nearing the edge of the trees when instinct warned her to dodge to the side, and did so just in time to see a huge metal stake on a chain hit the ground where she would have been.

"Ow!" she yelped as her thigh twinged upon landing, the impact sending a jolt through her wounded leg. "Ah, damn it Rin! Don't make me stab myself so deeply! It's hard to run!"

The reason that Kirika could break free from Rider's binding attempt lay in a geas that Rin had put upon her. Ever since they had discovered that she was pathetically easy to bind or charm, Rin had sought a way to improve her mental defences, or at least find some way for her to break free. When upon experimentation they had found that the reason for her weakness lay in the way her circuits handled prana, Rin gave up and put the geas on her. A compulsion that put an order in her mind to stab herself if she ever thought she was being hypnotised. The pain acting as a stimulant to wake her up for the instant that was needed to run away.

This did however leave a problem, as the act of stabbing meant that her speed was hampered. Even with the crude reinforcement that she could cast on herself after years under Rin, Kirika was nowhere fast enough to avoid inhuman opponents, as the enemy servant now proved. Before Kirika had even steadied herself, she had darted out in front of her, and now blocked the shortest path towards the front of the school.

Knowing that she would get enthralled again if she just stood there, Kirika moved. Projecting the twin dao that she was most familiar with, she went lunging towards the servant. It was a crazy move, but she hoped that the surprise of her sorcery together with the sheer insanity of a normal human attacking a servant would halt the servant long enough for her to escape. Which it did, sort of.

Kirika's swipe at the servant was easily dodged, and was quickly paid back as the servant kicked her in a move that would have winded her had it connected truly. Luckily however, Kirika's gamble had worked, and the kick caught her upon the arm that she had shielded herself with. Painful, but survivable. There was also the bonus of having been kicked towards the school building, and Kirika shifted her centre of gravity to hit the ground running.

She was close now, but still so far off from her goal. Fortunately for her, it seemed as if the heavens had decided to smile on her that day, as a noisy group suddenly appeared from around the corner.

"Eh? Emiyan? Why are you hurt?" asked the noisy track star of the athletics club who was the first to spot her. Normally the vibrant girl would have challenged her presence, but it appeared that even she wasn't flippant enough to joke when she saw a hurt girl in front of her.

"Emiya?" Himuro raised an eyebrow as she came up beside Makidera. "What happened to you?"

"Himuro. Makidera," Kirika gasped weakly as she looked behind her. No sign of the servant. Thank her lucky stars. It seemed that she had decided that there were too many people here for her to show herself like that.

Other members of the athletics club who had been carrying equipment back to the storage shed expressed their concerns about Kirika's wound, and she had a hard time explaining away the stab mark as a by-product of a fall. Makidera and the others eventually left off when she said it wasn't anything serious, but Kirika suspected that Himuro wasn't convinced. The composed high jump champion of the school kept a careful watch on her as she walked with them, and Kirika inwardly sweated until Himuro finally looked away.

"You sure you are going to be okay walking home like that Emiyan?" Makidera asked when they came out to the front of the school.

"Yeah, don't worry about it Makidera," Kirika said with a slight smile. "The bandage that Saegusa put on stopped the bleeding, and I'm going to take the bus anyway."

"Hmmm, mmm," Makidera crossed her arms and nodded. "Okay then, I trust that one of my rivals is sensible enough to take care of herself. You should thank Yukichi for her help though."

"I already did," Kirika replied as she suppressed an urge to ask 'what rival?' to Makidera.

Saying goodbye to Makidera and the others, Kirika was making her way towards the gate when Himuro came up to stop her.

"Emiya, be honest with me," she said serious while she stared her in the eyes. "Something happened back there, didn't it? And don't give me that nonsense about falling from the fence."

"Nothing happened, nothing happened!" Kirika protested as she inwardly marvelled at Himuro's perceptiveness. "I told you already didn't I? I fell and gouged my leg on a branch."

Her answer put a crease in Himuro's brow, and a long moment passed as Himuro tried to pressure her into honesty with her eyes. Eventually however she sighed and let her go.

"Fine, I will accept your story for now Emiya," she said in a tone that said that she didn't. "Dont' hesitate to talk to me if you need help though."

Kirika smiled. Himuro was a good girl. "Thanks Himuro, but really, nothing happened.

Himuro frowned once more but left her alone. When she had gone Kirika sighed and wiped the sweat from her brow. That had been close. A normal person like Himuro getting involved with this side could only end in disaster, and she was relieved that the inquisitive girl had backed off, even if it seemed that she had come to an erroneous conclusion.

Feeling around with all her senses to make sure that she wasn't being followed by the servant., Kirika made sure to stay in areas where there were lots of people as she made her way towards the bus stop. It was rush hour as everyone went home, so this wasn't too hard to do. Still, she was nervous. It was the first time that she had ever been attacked like that, and her nerves were frayed from the release of tension. Her hands were trembling, and her legs weren't much better. How was she going to get through the next few weeks if she was like this now?

Her nerves didn't steady until she got on the bus, the first one that arrived. When she checked Kirika found that her house was on the way, and decided to go there for now rather than wait around here. It wasn't as if the servant had nothing better to do than chase her around, right?

-x-x-x-

Back at the school, servant Rider arrived back at her master's side as she came back from following Kirika.

"Well, did you get her?" asked a figure who featured near the top of Rin's 'most annoying people' list.

"I apologise master, but there were too many people around for me to capture her," Rider replied.

"You useless bitch!" Shinji snarled. "What kind of servant are you? All I told you to do was to capture one weak little girl for crying out loud. Can't you even do that? Huh?"

A flurry of kicks accompanied Shinji's cruel words, but Rider took it all without complaint. Distasteful as he might be, he was still her master for now, and she had to obey him.

"About that master," Rider said as she cringed away from him. "The girl you sent me after turned out to be a mage. She was able to break free from the binding I was putting on her by stabbing herself, and she projected a pair of swords to attack me as she ran away."

"Eh? Emiya's a mage?" Shinji stopped to think about it. "Tch, figures. Looks like the rumours were true after all. Tohsaka must really be infatuated with her little pet if she decided to reveal her secrets and teach her."

Rider didn't comment. She didn't know much about the relationships between the people involved, and didn't want to get involved with this disgusting male in front of her any more than she had to.

"Heh, actually, this might be a good chance to get one back at that fiesty bitch," Shinji said with a nasty smile on his lips. "Tohsaka's got to be participating in the Grail War as well, and who better to get information from than her little pet? Not to mention the look that will be on Tohsaka's face if I show her pictures of raping that whore. Kikiki, I wonder if she's still a virgin."

There was a term for people like this, thought Rider as she was involuntarily bore witness to her master's fantasies. What was it?

Ah, she remembered. Human trash.

-x-x-x-

The sun had set a while ago, and it dark out as Kirika wondered whether to go to Rin's house or not. If Rin had a cell-phone she wouldn't have to worry since she could just ring and ask her to come by, but there was no chance that the technologically challenged head of the Tohsaka family would buy one, let alone know how to use it.

She still had nightmares about the day that Rin had decided to catch up with the twentieth century and buy a radio. How did you get a Sony radio to explode like that? Wasn't that nearly impossible?

Right now her options were to: A - Stay here for the night and wait for Rin to come and get her.

B - Buck up and head for Rin's house. The wards around the mansion meant that she would be safer there.

C - Go out to town and try and find Rin.

Kirika thought about it for a while and decided to stay here. She reasoned that the servant didn't know where she lived, and thus she was as safe here as she would be anywhere else. It was probably more dangerous to go out and wander the streets where she might run into that or another servant by sheer bad luck.

Having decided that, Kirika was about to make herself a cup of tea when the lights suddenly went out.

A sound like breaking glass falling on the ground announced the violation of the ward around the house. Kirika was instantly on her guard and summoned her swords to her hands as she looked around in the darkness for the threat.

She didn't need to wait long.

The servant from earlier came through the door to the patio, walking in a slinking motion that brought to mind a snake slithering across the ground. Stake and chain held ready in her hands, there was no doubt that she was here to get her.

"There you are," the servant said with a slight smile on her face when she spotted her.

"Who are you?" Kirika asked as she backed away. "Why are you after me?"

"Servant Rider," the tall and graceful servant told her. "I don't have anything against you, but my master demands that I take you to him."

Kirika flinched. Rider's master wanted her? Did they know that she was a master candidate as well? Or was it simply because of her ties to Rin? Either way, she couldn't just go with Rider.

"Showing your claws?" Rider asked as Kirika tightened her grasp on her swords. "Struggle all you want little fox, but it wont change anything."

"Doesn't hurt to try now, does it!" Kirika shouted as she leapt at Rider.

Her move just now was one that she would never have done had she been thinking straight, a mistake in judgement caused by her inexperience. The Yin style of the Qing'un sword form that she had learned was a style that focussed primarily on defence first, with attacks a natural progression from there. It wasn't a style of swordsmanship that lent itself easily to an aggressive assault, and it showed as Rider easily slid aside Kirika's attack.

Without another word, Rider kicked her like she had at school, and again Kirika was sent flying through the paper door into the yard. This time however she was unprepared and Rider's foot struck her heavily in the stomach, with a force that left Kirika feeling like she had a broken rib or two.

"Ugggh," Kirika gritted her teeth as she stood up. Stupid, stupid. Why had she done that? Even if she started focussing on defence now she was going to have trouble with this kind of wound hindering her movements.

While Kirika tried to regain her breath, Rider casually slipped through the hole in the door and came up to her. The servant was perfectly at ease as she approached without a care in the world, as if she wanted to tell her that she wasn't any kind of threat at all.

Annoyed by this dismissal, but cautious now after the failure of her rash assault, Kirika took up a stance with her swords and wait for Rider to either get in range or attack. Rider must have noticed the change in the atmosphere, because she hesitated for a moment as she entered the outermost boundary of the area that Kirika's swords could cover. Soon enough however, the hesitation passed, and Rider suddenly slithered into movement again as she struck out towards Kirika's neck.

Though she was prepared, Kirika could barely sense the attack, and nearly failed to interpose the sword in her right hand in the vector of Rider's strike. She couldn't even think about sliding the attack away, or any of the other methods that she could have used to reduce the shock. It was that fast.

"You blocked it?" murmured Rider as she took a step back. She seemed honestly surprised.

"I haven't held these swords for two years for nothing Rider-san," Kirika said with a smile that disguised the tension she felt inside. For crying out loud, how could anyone get so much power out of such thin arms? That one hit had numbed her entire right arm, and she wasn't sure she could block another.

Rider looked at her curiously (although how she could tell what Rider was thinking with that mask on she didn't know), then crouched down like an animal about to spring. No, like a cobra about to lash out.

A blink of an eye, that was it. In the space of time it took Kirika to blink away a speck of dust that had gotten into her eye, Rider had disappeared from her sight. She was wondering where the servant had gone when reflex pulled her swords up in a guard, and a sudden impact sent her flying through the open door of the shed nearby.

Kirika cried out in pain as her body crashed into the ground, scattering the piles of junk that Taiga had built up inside the shed. Her hands were empty now, one of the dao having broken as it absorbed Rider's attack, and the other dispelled by Kirika in an instinctive move to avoid injury. Even if she had them in her hands however she couldn't have done anything just then. Stunned with pain, Kirika couldn't move a muscle as Rider came in to get her prize.

"Is that it?" The servant asked as she knelt down on top of her.

The addition of Rider's weight made Kirika groan in pain, but any struggle was impossible as Rider captured her arms with her hands, pinning her down on the floor.

"My master told me to bring you to him and I must follow his orders, even if I don't like him," Rider whispered with her face just above Kirika's. "I don't think he will mind if I take a little snack (?) first though."

Still dazed, Kirika had a moment to wonder what Rider meant before she was subjected to the bespelling from Rider's eyes again. Unable to resist, her body went limp, and this time Rider made sure that she was unable to move her limbs so that she couldn't break free like last time. Strangely enough though, she could feel things stronger than ever, and Kirika's body shivered involuntarily as Rider's breath caressed the skin of her neck.

"Thank you for the meal," Rider murmured in her ear, sending tingles down her back.

A prickling sensation on her neck, and then... Pleasure, a hot jolt of sensations that melted her resistance as she felt Rider suck at her neck. She had to resist, she knew it, but it was so hard to concentrate. So... Very... Hard...

The world began to slip away, her energy fading as Rider fed from her. Just before she thought she would fall unconscious however, a flash of light lit up the shed, and Kirika blinked as a refreshing coolness cleared the fog from her mind.

"Hyah!"

"Tch!"

Clang! Metal clashed against metal as Rider suddenly jumped back in the face of an attack. A shape rushed past in pursuit, and pretty soon a constant ringing could be heard. Kirika wondered who it was, but she didn't have the energy to pull herself up yet. From her vantage point, all she could see were flashes of blue and silver as somebody or somebodies fought with Rider in the yard.

"Master? Are you alright?" she suddenly heard someone ask from behind her.

When Kirika turned to see who it was, she was faced by a fantastic vision clad in white and silver. Holding a golden sword that was strangely familiar, the young woman who stood there illuminated by the light of the moon was so beautiful that Kirika's mind turned blank.

"Master?" the white knight repeated.

Before she could reply, the person who had rushed after Rider came back into the shed.

"In reponse to your summons, I have come," said the knight clad in blue and silver as she entered. "I ask of you now, are you my master?"

"..." Kirika was pretty sure there was something out of place here.

"Another me?" blurted out the white and silver knight.

Her attention drawn by the noise, the blue and silver knight turned towards its source, but her invisible sword faltered when she found it.

"Wh-what?" The golden haired knight stammered. "Who are you? And why do you look like me?"

"That's my line!" protested the green eyed knight with golden sword at the ready. "Who are you?"

It shouldn't have been possible, but the blue knight's green eyes grew even wider as she spotted the sword in the white knight's hands.

"Caliburn?" she squealed. "That's impossible!"

"What are you talking about?" The white knight replied as she looked her mirror copy up and down. "And... Hold on, why do you have Excalibur?"

Caliburn? Excalibur? Even as confused as she was Kirika could identify those names. If she wasn't mistaken, those were the swords of...

""Master? What's going on here? And who is she?"" The two servants shouted in unison, pointing at each other.

Kirika could only stare dumbly at the both of them. Surely, surely, King Arthur couldn't have been a girl.

... Right?

**1-3**

Two hours later, Emiya residence.

Tohsaka Rin was in despair.

"Let me get this straight," she muttered darkly with her face in her hands. "I go to all that trouble and end up with Archer, and you get Saber from what basically amounts to an accidental summoning. Not only that, but you summoned _two_ Sabers from the deal, which should be impossible, but is just so you."

"Haha," Kirika scratched her head. "Did I mention that Saber's true identity is King Arthur?"

OTL

The finishing blow. Rin collapsed into a depressed heap of flesh and bones, and wouldn't respond no matter how Kirika tried to wake her.

"... Should I be insulted?" Archer wondered out loud. "Was it really that much of a disappointment to summon me instead of Saber?"

"Well you did go down in one hit from my 'sister' over here," the Saber who had decided to go by the name 'Lily' for now teased him.

Archer gave her a dark look. "Yes, thank you very much for reminding me."

"Now that you mention it, how badly are you hurt Archer?" asked 'Saber' who seemed uncomfortable with Lily for some reason.

"It's not too bad," Archer shrugged. "I should be fine after a day of rest."

Saber nodded. "That is good. It would be inconvenient for an ally to be disabled."

"Are you worried about him? How sweet?" Lily said with a saccharine smile on her face.

Saber frowned at her twin. "He is our comrade in arms, at least for now. Of course I would be concerned about his health."

"Gods you are stuffy," Lily muttered. "We aren't in court right now. Loosen up a bit."

"This entire city is a battlefield," Saber rebutted. "Lowering our guard would be an act of foolishness."

"Worrywort," Lily mumbled as she looked away.

"..." Saber said nothing and glared at Lily as if to try and erase her existence with the force from her eyes.

"Now, now, ladies," Archer strode in between them. "Let's try and get along with each other shall we? Otherwise it's going to be a long Grail War for all of us."

"Oh, I don't have any problems with her," Lily said cheerfully. "I just want her to relax a little, that's all. As she is right now, she reminds me too much of myself when I was a stubborn ass."

Saber narrowed her eyes at the comment, but declined to respond.

Lily sighed. "See? So cold. It's as if she hasn't yet realised that people are supposed to have feelings."

Saber clenched her fist tightly as Lily's words struck her deeply. It was only a slight movement, but it didn't escape the notice of the other two servants.

"Hoh~? Don't tell me..." Lily looked inquisitively at the golden haired knight who was herself, albeit with a few differences.

Visibly disturbed, Saber refused to meet Lily's eyes. Despite such attempts to avoid Lily's gaze, the white knight appeared to realise something, and was about to speak when Rin revived.

"... Mumble... Unfair... Mumble... Okay," Rin took a deep breath. "Since things turned out this way, we may as well milk our advantage for all it's worth." She sat up and turned to face Kirika with a gorgeous smiled planted on her face. "Ki~ri~ka?"

"Ye-yes?" Kirika answered nervously. Nothing good ever came of other people calling her name so cheerfully.

"You are my apprentice right?" Rin asked as if to confirm the fact.

"Uh... Yes," Kirika hesitantly agreed. Where was she going with this?

"You and I share a lot of our tools when we work, don't we?" Rin continued.

Kirika nodded. That was true, but... Why was Rin mentioning this now?

"Not to mention, you use my shampoo and makeup as well," said Rin.

Kirika felt she had to point something out here. "But that's because you said it' s waste of money for me to buy my own when I hardly ever use-."

"So, what's mine is yours, and what's yours is mine," Rin concluded hurriedly as she ignored Kirika. "Thus, I will be borrowing Saber. Thanks Kirika!"

... How did you come to that conclusion again?

"Uhm... Rin? Saber has feelings too doesn't she?" said Kirika while the servants stared incredulously at the Tohsaka mage. "You can't just announce that you are going to 'borrow' her like that. You need to ask her how she feels about it."

"It's out of the question master," Saber jumped into the conversation. "I am your servant, and I can't leave you alone by yourself."

"She won't be alone," replied Lily. "I will be with her. Which doesn't mean that I approve of you taking Saber, Tohsaka. At least explain your reasoning first."

Lily smiled at Rin, and Rin smiled back. For an instant Kirika imagined that she could see a lioness and a demon facing off against each other.

"It's simple really," Rin said smoothly. "Kirika and I will be fighting together, which means that we should maximise the utility of the forces that we have available. My servant is Archer, which means that he would be far more effective with someone to guard him in combat. Kirika has two Sabers available, so it's only natural that one of you should act as a guard for Archer."

"... Uhm, actually Rin, I use-."

"You have a good point there, Tohsaka," Lily admitted easily as she cut off Archer. "Take her."

"Thank you," Rin replied.

"You know, I don't really-." Archer tried to say something again but this time he was cut off by Saber.

"And what makes you think I will listen to your opinion, Lily?" Saber asked with arms crossed defiantly. "In the first place, couldn't you fill that role just as well as I would? It would make more sense for a flippant warrior like you to guard Archer and leave me as a guard for our master."

"No, no. That's not it." Lily wagged her finger. "It's to do with the roles we are best suited for you see. I was curious about your ability so I asked our master to compare us. It turns out that you are stronger and tougher than me, but slower on your feet." Lily smiled triumphantly as Saber. "You wouldn't ask someone weaker than you are to take hits from the enemy, would you?"

"... Hello? Is anybody listening to me?"

"Ugh," Saber frowned as Lily appealed to her pride as a knight. "... I find myself doubting that we are the same person. Don't you have any pride as a knight?"

This time it was Lily's turn to frown. "Of course I have my pride! But is it pride or stupidity to not rely on your comrades if they are more suited for a role? Don't tell me you think it's right to take on everything upon yourself."

A tense silence ran between the two proud knights as Lily's words hit a nerve in Saber. In stark contrast to this scene however, Archer had drifted off to the kitchen where he had his face against a cupboard as he sulked.

"... I'm just an unwanted nobody, aren't I... ?" Archer was mumbling this and other similar sentiments.

Kirika was looking back and forth between her servants as she tried to think of something to say that would defuse the situation. She didn't like the way they two were arguing, preferring harmony over conflict as a philosophy, but she couldn't determine why it was the two were so abrasive with each other. Ughhh, maybe she should listen to Rin and stick Saber with Archer just to avoid this kind of faceoff.

"Excuse me, I have a question," Rin suddenly spoke up, her voice cutting through the tension.

""Yes?"" the two Sabers chorused, then they frowned at each other before they looked away.

Rin pretended to cough in order to cover the grin that had appeared at the sight. These two were so different yet so similar all at once.

"Hmm, anyway." Rin cleared her throat. "Ahem. I was just wondering. Why do the both of you seem... So weak? I would have thought that a hero like King Arthur would be stronger. Your prana levels in particular... Even Archer has more than you right now and he doesn't even have a proper name."

"... Yes, I'm just a nobody. A nobody without a name..."

Saber and Lily winced and looked at each other. When they realised what they were doing however they sniffed and looked away. It was such a cute sight, like twin sisters bickering, that Kirika couldn't help giggling.

"About that," Lily spoke as she pointedly ignored her master's mirth. "I suspect that something went wrong during the summoning. Right now I'm not getting any support from my master, and at this rate I will eventually be unable to even stay in this world."

"What?" Rin's eyes went wide. "What about you Saber?"

Saber nodded. "It is the same with me. I can barely feel my connection with master, and for some reason I feel my prana slowly flowing out from me towards her instead of being replenished as it should." She turned to look at Kirika. "Master, can you not do something about this? Or is this just a temporary lack of prana on your part?"

Rin looked at Kirika, who shrugged helplessly. "I don't know what's wrong," Kirika told her teacher. "I tried to send them my prana, but it's as if there's something in the way."

"Hmm," Rin began to think. "I can't imagine Kirika, who has so much prana that it almost rots inside her, would ever be short of power, so it must be a problem with the connection between you three. It might also be a side effect of the abnormal summoning process that was involved too..."

A long pause. Kirika was about to tell Rin that she would try and solve it somehow when Rin's eyes suddenly went blank.

"Kirika..." Rin said weakly.

"Yes?" Kirika replied.

"You didn't use a contract as a part of the summons did you?" Rin asked almost rhetorically.

Kirika smiled awkwardly. "Contract? Uh... Saber and Lily just appeared out of nowhere."

Thud. The pointlessness that Rin felt towards her own sorcery drained all the energy out of her.

"Haha, after all these years I don't know why I should be surprised," Rin muttered darkly. "Oh sure, your projection is quite possibly the closest thing the world has seen to the 'Denial of Nothingness' since that disappeared. Why should I be jealous that you are closer to the first than I am to the second. After all, I am only the sixth generation descendent of one's the Wizard Marshal's disciples. Haha. Your broken analysis ability is ridiculous as well. No one should be able to just look at an artefact and tell what it does and how it can be broken or repaired. Hahaha. So why should I be surprised by the fact that you managed to summon a servant with no preparation what so ever, without even a contract spell to guide you? Hahahahahaha."

"..." Kirika sweated as killing intent rose off Rin in tendrils of dark emotions.

"... Whew." Thankfully, Rin appeared to calm down. "Kirika."

"Yes?" she was replying like this a lot lately.

"Just make a pass with them like we did last night," Rin muttered with her face down against the table once more.

A Pass?

... A pass? Last night?

"EH~?"

"What? It's the easiest way to create the link between you and them. It will only take a moment too. Is something wrong?" Rin asked as if she didn't know the reason behind Kirika's sudden outcry.

From the glint of amusement in her eyes, Kirika could tell that she did, but was enjoying her reaction too much to let it show. Blushing fiercely, Kirika attempted to argue her way out of the multi-car crash her future seemed to be headed towards.

"But, but, that was, I mean... I can't... I, them, bwah?" Kirika broke down as her brain overheated.

Lily looked at Kirika curiously. "Is there something the matter master? If the ritual is so simple I don't see why we don't go ahead with it."

"I agree," Saber added. "There's no point to going any longer than we need to without recharging our prana."

"..." Kirika was so red now that she was steaming.

"Kirika... Saber... And Saber? Ugh!" Archer suddenly developed a nose bleed, but no one was paying attention to him.

Rin giggled and beckoned to Saber and Lily with her hand. "Come over here for a second. I will tell you why she's like that."

Saber and Lily blinked and went over to kneel by Rin's side. Victims obtained, the red demon then proceeded to explain, in loving detail, the ritual that Kirika needed to perform in order to create the pass between them.

"... ? ... ! *D*$H&GSDF?" Saber jumped back from Rin and stared at her with her jaw wide open.

On the other hand, Lily looked thoughtful.

"A kiss with master? Hmmm..." She gave Kirika a look over and then licked her lips. "That sounds like it will be tasty (?). Let's do it master!"

"!" If Kirika could get any redder, she would have entered the infra-red range.

"You! Me! I mean, Lily! What are you saying?" Saber shouted out, mortified at the thought of someone who looked like her doing... That... With someone.

Lily gave her a disdainful look. "What? It's not as if I haven't done the same before with Guin. Heh heh. Don't worry master. I will make sure that you see heaven (?)."

Silence. Archer and Rin were staring with their jaws open while Saber had shut down from embarassment. As for Kirika...

"Eh? Master? Ah! She's as hot as an oven! Someone get some water!"

She had fainted.

-x-x-x-

"... Please tell me that was a dream," Kirika asked of Rin when she woke up to find her at her side.

"Sorry, I can't do that Kirika," Rin apologised insincerely.

"... Then let me get back to sleep," Kirika said despondently as she turned over to face the wall.

Only to see Lily there, her face just inches away from hers.

"Stay still master~!"

"Mmph?"

Ambushed by Lily, Kirika froze as a velvetine pair of lips locked themselves upon hers. Surprised, her mouth slipped open just a little, and Lily took the chance to slip her tongue into her mouth. Lily's tongue curled around her own, and Kirika found herself involuntarily groaning as Lily displayed an unbelievable dexterity with her intraoral digit. As the kiss continued Kirika gave up her resistance, and fell limp against the floor as Lily bore down on her. After what seemed like an age however, Lily showed no signs of disengaging, and Kirika was about to try pushing her off when she felt Lily pushing something down her air-starved throat.

"Hwah!" Kirika gasped as Lily finally backed off.

"Thank you for the meal!" Lily told her cheerfully, giving her a peck on the cheek which Kirika was too dizzy too react to. "What was I supposed to do now Tohsaka?"

"... Huh?" Rin answered dumbly. Her face was as red as her shirt. "Uh... Ah! The ritual?"

Lily gave her a look. "Yes, the ritual."

Rin cleared her throat, embarassed by the act that had occurred before her eyes but also how much she had been distracted by it. "Kirika, you just focus on establishing the link when it comes through. Lily? Repeat after me. 'My blood given freely'."

"My blood given freely."

"Put your hand on her chest please," Rin told her. "And - "Hughu?" - don't massage it!"

"Sorry, force of habit," Lily said as she stilled her hand.

Rin groaned as she staved off a headache. "Hah... 'My oath sworn before thee'."

"My oath sworn before thee."

"I give of myself, and ask for thee in return."

"I give of myself, and ask for thee in return."

"Should you accept."

"Should you accept."

"Answer me now." Rin finished.

"Answer me now." Lily repeated.

At the instant that Lily spoke the last word, Kirika jumped as a sudden heat spread out from her chest where Lily's hand lay. The warmth ran through her entire body, and on the third pass through she felt something click inside her, followed by a feeling of release as prana began to flood out through the newly established pass into Lily.

Lily had her eyes closed as Kirika's prana rushed into her, the energy filling her from the toes up as tendrils of lightning began to jump around over her body. The wind that blew out from her and the dazzling light display were both a side effect of the transfer as prana leaked from the crude but strong pass.

"..." As the wind died down, Lily opened her eyes. "That felt very nice," she whispered as she flexed her hands.

"Haha... Did it?" Kirika gasped as she breathed heavily.

"I'm glad it worked out for you two," said Rin as she noted the rise in Lily's stats.

Exhausted, Kirika could only smile weakly as she tried to sort out her emotions.

"Thank you master," said Lily, before she dropped Kirika into a pit of despair. "Please take good care of my 'sister' now~!"

"... What?"

"Go and fetch Saber, Lily," said Rin. "We may as well get this over with today."

"Wait, what's this about Saber?" Kirika asked feebly.

"Don't worry Tohsaka," Lily reassured her fellow conspirator. "I will drag her here if I have to."

Rin laughed and was joined by Lily. As she watched the two, Kirika had to wonder if she should fear for her virtue tonight.

-x-x-x-

"... Saber."

"What is it Archer?"

"Run."

"..."


	2. Chapter 2

**2-1**

Static, a world filled with corrupted images.

_Error. Mental landscape erosion accelerated. Error. Ego contamination. Error. EgosSssghsnNSUDSjSNgidj g- Error. Error. Error. Error. Tracing conceptu8etJHGYJE*gdgjbb gd3sdjjdfjsbsk3u#&nnjUBwDNS $44$jBdjfhjdkl;hlanmxcs_ al fragm-SUBKSJG DBKsjdjfhsdu3q riG&#GBDfjbjbj# JEHWESRLLBUSHUWOHJSRD S -_

_Reflection paradigm located. Stabilising._

War, in all its terrible glory. A silver spear formed of knights charged through the middle of a horde of footmen, while overhead arrows filled the skies with a whistling noise as they plunged down towards the crowds below.

In the centre of it all, one bright figure caught her attention. A knight clad in blue and silver, leading one army from the front as she struck her way through all opposition. Saber, Arthur, Arturia Pendragon, all those names and meanings in one petite body. True to her legend she was an unstoppable figure on the battlefield as she carried her followers towards victory and glory.

... But that was all that she could feel from her.

There was no emotion upon that face, only a grim determination to rid the land of its enemies. Hope existed, but was not shared. There was no doubt that she was someone who could be leant upon, but she herself would not allow herself to lean on anyone else. A person perfect unto herself, but flawed because of that perfection. That was Kirika's impression of Saber as she watched her around her men in the aftermath of the battle.

It was... Almost sad.

_Paradigm shift. Reflection angle modified._

The world broke down again, the battlefield replaced by a view out of a medieval tale. A majestic castle, overlooking a field of white flowers that stretched all the way to the forest to the east. Upon the minarets that decked the upper heights of the tastefully designed fortress, banners that bore the red dragon proclaimed the identity of the castle's lord.

Pendragon. The house of the King of the Britons.

Beside that honored symbol however flew another banner. A white lily upon blue. The history behind this symbol was not a very long one, but no one could doubt that its owner hadn't brought it glory and power.

With a loud rattling of chains and the creaking of gears, the drawbridge of the castle was lowered. When the sturdy settled onto the ground with a heavy thud, a procession exited the cleared portal with a familiar face in the lead.

Clad in black trimmed white and silver armor, her golden hair tied back with a voluminous black ribbon, the golden sword at her waist completed the picture of a royal figure headed for war. Lily, otherwise known as Arturia Pendragon, King of Knights.

It was strange, Kirika thought as she watched Lily ride with her men. The way that they were all clad for war left no doubt that their destination was the battlefield. So why did they all seem... So joyous? Laughing and joking amongst themselves, with Lily joining in occasionally as suited the mood. The knights that led the column seemed more like a family than a group formed for battle. A pretty big contrast to the relationship between Saber and her knights.

Kirika smiled in her sleep as she watched the young woman whose destiny lay with the golden sword at her side. Lily had been happy, at least during this moment that she had been privileged to see. Then again, maybe it hadn't been so unexpected of the white knight whose personality and presence could best be described with one short comparison.

She was the sun, a magnificent and warm presence that overlooked all those she ruled.

With someone like that by her side, maybe this whole Grail War thing wouldn't be so bad after all.

-x-x-x-

The first thing that Kirika's sleep addled eyes saw when she opened them were two pools of forest green, so vibrant and deep that she thought that she could fall into them.

*Chu* "Good morning Kirika," Lily said after a quick peck on Kirika nose.

Kirika instantly took back what she had thought in her dreams. Life with Lily was going to test her sanity like nothing else ever had.

"What are you doing here?" she asked as she quickly shuffled back. Her pyjamas... Why was her shirt half open?

"Don't you remember Kirika?" Lily said cheerfully from her position astride her master. "Saber and I told you that we would take turns to watch over you at night didn't we?"

Kirika thought she remembered them saying something like that, but that wasn't what was important here.

"... I will grant you that," she hastily said in order to get to the point. "But why are you on top of me?"

"The closer I am to you, the better I can guard you," Lily said innocently. "It's perfectly logical."

Kirika had to put in a tackle here. "How is that logical?"

Her shout must have startled the others, because the door flew open as Saber rushed into the room.

"Master! What's -,"

Or rather she had intended to rush into the room.

"Good morning, me." Lily greeted her alternate image matter-of-factly.

"Uh, ah... Uhm... I'm very sorry!" Saber apologised with a red face and made to back out of the room.

"Huh?" Kirika wondered why Saber was so flustered and realised what her position under Lily's body must look like. "Ah! It isn't like that! I swear!"

"..." Saber looked at her then glanced away.

"AHHHH! Lily! Get off me!" Kirika shouted, her reason knocked aside by embarassment.

"Tired of me already Kirika?" Lily joked as she got up from her knees.

"LILY!"

The white knight chuckled as she ignored her master's agitation and left the room.

Left behind by themselves, Saber and Kirika shared a moment of awkward silence. They both had no idea what to say after seeing something like that in the morning.

"... Good morning, Saber," Kirika finally broke the silence with a strained greeting.

"G-good morning master," Saber replied with a slightly fluttery voice.

"..."

"..."

Silence again as the two ran out of things to say to each other so early in the morning.

"... Uhm... How's your lip?" Kirika asked in an attempt to ease the tension.

She failed miserably.

"My... Lip?" Saber blushed and looked away. "It's... Fine, master. I am a servant... We heal faster..."

Kirika realised what she had asked and blushed. Why had she brought that up again? Hadn't she and Saber silently agreed never to discuss the matter again last night? Did she really need to remember the... The... Kiss with... Waaah~! #&%G! She was never going to get married at this rate!

... Where the hell had that thought come from?

"Could you... Please leave?" Kirika asked as she hid her face under the covers. "I need to get dressed."

"Yes, of course!" Saber replied quickly, and immediately stepped out through the door and shut it.

Kirika wanted to cry. How had things turned out like this? All she wanted from life was to carry out justice where it was needed, following in her dad's footsteps. So why did she have to be turned into a girl by some cursed artefact, become embroiled in a war between magi, and have her innocence (?) taken by not just one but three girls?

... And why did she imagine that she could hear her dad say 'good job' from heaven with his thumb raised?

-x-x-x-

Breakfast passed by with little fuss... Or so Kirika wished.

To begin with she had fought with Archer over who prepared breakfast (an argument that she lost) and who would pack lunch (an argument which she won in a phyrric victory as she remembered how much she needed to make for Taiga). Then had come the awe-inspiring display for the human capacity to consume food as Saber proceeded to demolish nine people's worth of breakfast... And then asked for more. Lily had consumed a relatively tiny (?) four portions, but she too had seemed hungry once the meal was over.

It was then that Kirika had decided that her greatest enemy was not the other servants in this war. No, her worries were much greater than that. She had to face the bottomless pits that were Saber, Lily, and Taiga armed with only the money from Kiritsugu's savings and the little money that came out from the investments Raiga-san managed for her.

At this rate she might have to think about mortgaging the house, and she was only half-joking with herself about that.

Hah... The only thing she had really managed to achieve this morning was to get Saber and Lily to allow her to come to school without them. She didn't want to find out what kind of impact the appearance of two such beautiful girls would have on the school population, especially not if they hung around her all the time. A slightly empty victory though, since she had been forced to compromise by letting them come pick her up after school.

"Oh! It's Emiyan!" somebody called out as she went towards her class.

She turned to see the athletics club trio, and smiled at them as she remembered the help they had given her yesterday.

"Ack," Makidera frowned and made a warding gesture. "Put that weapon away Emiyan."

"Indeed, it would be uncomfortable to start the day with that image in mind," added Himuro.

"Good morning, Emiya-san," Saegusa said in what was the only normal greeting among them, but she had her face turned towards the ground as she greeted her.

"?" Kirika put a finger to the lips in honest confusion. "What are you talking about Makidera, Himuro?"

"""Hwah...""" the athletics trio sighed together when they saw that she didn't understand.

The cool glasses girl amongst them came up to her and clapped her hands on her shoulders. "Emiya Kirika, I know that you are too slow to understand why, but just keep in mind that you are an enemy to all women in this world." She stopped and appeared to think about something. "Even if you do make quite the picture..." Kirika thought she heard her mumble.

"Eh? Eh?" Kirika wanted to know what the heck had brought this about.

"Ugh, I can't believe this rockhead is one of the three women I acknowledge as a rival," Makidera muttered as if offended by something. "And do something about that smile of yours Emiyan! It's unfair!"

"..." Even if she said that, she couldn't fix something when she didn't even know what was wrong.

"Ignore the idiot - "HEY!" - for now," said Himuro over Makidera's protest. "How is your leg? You did get home alright yesterday didn't you?"

"Huh? Oh, that?" Kirika laughed nervously. "It's fine now, thanks for worrying. See?"

She raised her skirt to show the unblemished skin where yesterday she had stabbed herself. Makidera's eyes narrowed and Saegusa blushed as heads turned at the display, but Himuro only frowned and touched the spot where the wound had been.

"... There's no mark," she muttered as if confused.

"Huh?" Kirika only then noticed what was odd. "Eh? That's weird, I could have sworn I had a mark there yesterday."

"Ohhh! It's official! Emiyan is a top secret cyborg with regenerative skin!" Makidera suddenly cried out. "No wonder you always beat me! I bet that those obscenely perfect boobs of yours are also - gack!"

Himuro choked off Makidera's rant with a chokehold around the neck. "Sorry about that Emiya," she apologised. "It's good to see that you are fine. We will see you around school okay?"

"Goodbye Emiya-san," Saegusa also added.

"Gah - Join the club Emiyan! It's your destiny! Gack!" Makidera tossed out yet another recruitment offer before Himuro choked her off again.

"See you later," Kirika gave them a little wave as they left for their class, 2-A like Rin.

As she turned around to head for her own classroom, she thought about the wound and other things that seemed a little off. The little stab mark was one thing, since that had been a relatively small and clean cut. On the other hand she could have sworn that Rider had broken some of her ribs yesterday, but right now she couldn't feel anything wrong with them. Had she been mistaken?

... Meh, whatever. What was good was good. It didn't seem like there was anything wrong, so why bother wasting time worrying about it?

Glossing over what was inconvenient as long as there was no harm done to herself or others. Though she didn't realise it, Emiya Kirika had been 'slightly' infected by Rin's suppressed neetism over the years they had spent together.

-x-x-x-

Ding - dang- dong. The end of the school day, and time for all the student to disperse to their clubs or their homes.

Kirika was a member of the 'Go Straight Home' club like Rin, but today she had a place to visit here at the school, and set out to find her objective as soon as class finished.

"Emiya? What are you doing here?" asked her target, Mitsuzuri Ayako as they ran into each other outside her class.

Kirika waved at her. "Not much. I just decided to take you up on that offer from before."

Ayako's eyes lit up. "You are finally going to disobey your mistress and join the club?"

Kirika shook her head. "No, only for - who's my mistress?"

Ayako laughed loudly. "Just joking Emiya, just joking. Geez, it's because you react like this that people want to tease you."

"Muuu," Kirika frowned and crossed her arms. Why did she have so many people around her that loved to tease others?

"Aww, don't sulk Emiya," Ayako said as she took her hand. "Come on, it will be good to see you in a hakama again."

Giving up the struggle against her fate, Kirika let Ayako pull her along as they headed for the archery dojo. A few whispers seemed to start as they passed by, but she ignored them. It was probably just idle gossip anyway.

When they got to the dojo Kirika realised that she had forgotten about someone whose presence would complicate things.

"Kirika!" Taiga cried out when she spotted them. "It's been ages since you came here! Are you finally going to join? Are you? Are you?"

Kirika backed off in the face of Taiga's forceful suggestions. Hahaha, this was a part of the reason why she had avoided this building for a good year and a half now. The way that Fuji-nee always looked at her as if expecting something always put a burden upon her mind.

"Emiya's just visiting Fujimura-sensei," Ayako came to the rescue. "Now, back off a little, or you will scare her away for another year."

"Ughhhh, and here Onee-san finally thought she could count on you for the championship later this year," Taiga gave Kirika a disappointed stare. "We get bonuses if the clubs we oversee win you know? Big bonuses! Onee-san needs money to supplement her allowance Kirika!"

Kirika laughed weakly as Ayako mumbled something about the Archery club's image being ruined. Yep, Fuji-nee was just as energetic and poor as usual. Why couldn't Raiga-san give her some more pocket money?

... Wait, that was a bad idea. She spent all of her wages on junk and snacks already. If she got even more money her house would be filled with useless knick knacks in no time.

"Come on Emiya, let's get you dressed," Ayako suggested as the rest of the club members began to filter in. "You do remember how to put on everything right?"

Kirika nodded. "Yep. Do you still have the spares in the far lockers?"

"You betcha," Ayako confirmed. "Well, come out quickly Emiya. I can't wait to see how much I've caught up to you."

"Psh, I'm not that good," Kirika said modestly.

Ayako raised an eyebrow. "So says the person who hits the target one hundred times out of a hundred."

Kirika tried to ignore Ayako's look as she slipped inside the changing rooms.

When she emerged again, she was dressed in the short-sleeved white gi and the navy hakama that the club kept for the occasional casual member. The get up was surprisingly comfortable even after all this time, and Kirika felt her mood lift slightly as she went up to the range.

"Nui! Kirika-chan's hakama look, spotted!" Taiga squeaked excitedly when she saw her. "Ah, it looks so good on you Kirika-chan! Why won't you join the club so that I can see you like that every day?"

Your reactions are part of the reason why, Kirika wanted to say as Taiga rubbed herself against her face, but she kept her silence with stoic determination. Ayako gave her a look of sympathy but didn't move to help her. They were both used to Taiga's behaviour and trying to stop her now would only make things noisier.

"Think you still have it Emiya?" Ayako inquired as Taiga was forced to stop in order to go answer a query from one of the third years. "It's been a while since you drew a bow hasn't it?"

Kirika didn't reply immediately and took an arrow from the case nearby. Flexing the bow a few times to get the feel for its tension, she waited for her turn to come by, then drew the string back and released the arrow.

"I think I've still got it," she told Ayako as she turned around without bothering to check where the arrow went. She didn't need to.

"Ack, you monster," Ayako clicked her tongue as she saw that the arrow had buried itself deeply into the centre of the target. "And here I thought that I might finally be able to outscore you today."

Kirika giggled quietly. "You will. That shot just now was more of a fluke than anything. I nearly lost it when that breeze picked up as I released."

Ayako frowned and tried to feel the wind. Nothing. "Whatever you say Emiya," she sighed. "I've got to go and help the others as well as get some practice in myself. Will you be fine here by yourself?"

Kirika nodded. "I will just shoot a quiver or two and then observe. I just felt like shooting some arrows for once."

"Okay, have fun," Ayako told her as she went off.

Left to herself, Kirika tuned out the rest of the world as she focussed on the target and the distance in between. Aiming was a concept she was unfamiliar with. Instead, she imaged the possibilities that came of releasing the arrow, and chose the one that led to it hitting the centre. When the target next to hers thudded to the impact of an arrow on the outer ring, she released the string, and nodded as she hit the centre with her shot.

Draw, release. Draw, release. Draw, release. She continued the mechanical pattern until her fingers clutched empty air as she reached down for more arrows. When she realised that she had exhausted her load, Kirika lowered the bow and backed away from the shooting spot.

It was then that she noticed that the rest of the dojo had fallen silent, and that she was the focus of dozens of stares from all of the archery club members who had stopped to watch her.

"Eh? Eh?" she looked about with her feet frozen to the spot. What was going on? Why was everyone looking at her?

"And that folks, is why we call Emiya 'Sniper-san' around here," Ayako's voice cut through the silence. "You all saw her form as you shot didn't you? That's what we are all aiming for, so go off and practice while you still remember it. Go off now, shoo, shoo."

Kirika breathed a sigh of relief when the impromptu crowd dispersed, and smiled gratefully at Ayako when the fiesty club captain approached.

"Wow, haven't you gotten better Emiya?" Ayako asked when they were alone. "How could you hit the centre with all those arrows? You can't even see the bullseye anymore because you packed them in so densely!"

"Luck?" Kirika shrugged. "I just had a good run today."

"Right," Ayako looked at her doubtfully. "Too much modesty is unbecoming you know. Still, are you sure you don't want to join Emiya? With your talent I bet you could even aim for the Olympics if you transferred over to Archery (Western) in university."

"No I'm fine," Kirika replied as she put the bow down in a rest. "Archery is just something I do when I get the fancy. I don't want to get heavily involved in it."

"Pity," Ayako said with her voice full of honest disappointment. "Well, go and play with Fujimura-sensei or something if you plan to observe Emiya. I've got to go and practice."

Kirika nodded and waved her off again. She was about to take Ayako's advice and join Taiga for a cup of tea when a prickling on the back of her neck stopped her in her tracks. Killing intent? Or simple hostility? When she turned to see who it was, she saw a girl she recognised at the other end of the hostile glare.

Matou Sakura, that was the name. A pale beauty with slightly faded black hair that looked almost purple in the light. She was pretty famous around the school as the Ice Princess of the first years, but that wasn't how Kirika knew her, not really. Her familiarity with Sakura came from the times that she had noticed Rin go blank as the girl walked by. Every time Rin had looked as if she wanted to say something, but had stopped without uttering a word. Sensing the emotions behind Rin's actions, Kirika had asked Rin for an explanation, but had been warned off by an angry Rin. One of the few times that she could remember Rin truly getting angry at her.

Kirika frowned. What had she done to earn the girl's enmity? She had never even talked to the girl before.

"KIRIKA!" Taiga's sudden scream grabbed her attention. "Who are these two foreign beauties? And why are they calling you master?"

Oh, lord... Kirika rushed off to try and contain the situation, but the damage had already been done. As the dojo descended into chaos with the arrival of Saber and Lily, Kirika got caught up in a mish mash of wild gossip and whispered ruminations about her orientation. It was all so confusing that she promptly forgot all about the girl who had been looking at her so angrily.

-x-x-x-

Leaving the hustle and bustle of the archery club behind her, Sakura headed for the woods, the nearest place she could think of where she could be by herself. As she ran she fought to control the conflicting feelings in her heart. It was only when she finally got far enough away that no one could possibly hear or see her from the dojo that she allowed herself to come to a stop, and let the flurry of emotions she felt run free.

"Why?" she hissed as she put her weight against a tree with one hand. "Why does she have to be so perfect?"

Jealousy, rage, admiration. All this and more. What Sakura felt towards Kirika was no simple thing. Five years of observing the girl who had taken her desired place in life had been plenty of time for Sakura to develop feelings both dangerous and sweet for the young magus. Right now though it was her jealousy of the other girl's ability to claim everyone's attention for herself that was foremost in her thoughts.

"Just when I thought that I could take her place... Why did she have to come back again?" Sakura muttered darkly.

While it was true that Shinji had told her to come to the Archery club to pick up after him, the true motive for Sakura coming along so obediently was actually quite different. An image from a year ago, of a girl who stood in the light that she so desired from the depths of her soul. A pure and clean image that she dreamt of for herself but knew that she could never attain, not really anyway. Out of a wish to at least imitate that person she had gladly followed her brother to the club.

When she had gotten there and found out that the cause for her being there had quit, she had been half glad and half disappointed. Glad that there would be no cause for comparisons to be drawn between her and the one she envied, disappointed that the one she admired would not be beside her. Not knowing how she should really feel, she had settled into the club with the mechanical motions that were typical of her.

It was a few weeks into the school year that Sakura realised that this was a chance for her. Till then she had only dreamt of becoming like the one she had watched that lonely autumn evening. In the absence of that person's presence however, wasn't it possible that she could live out that little dream of hers? Not perfectly, for she could never be as innocent and open as that person, but she could pretend at least. A fantasy lived out, a short escape from cruel reality in a role that she longed to become.

So with a trembling heart, she had tried, and was accepted. With her quiet manner and dainty looks, it didn't take long before she was one of the most liked of the first year members. After that it was only a matter of time before she was one of the central members of the club, with people looking at her in a similar manner as they had towards that person.

Sakura had basked in that newfound attention. Thinking that maybe, just maybe, if she became popular enough that everyone would look at her, those people would look at her too. Just like they were always looking at each other.

But, that hadn't happened. Although more and more people looked at her with respect or adoration, those two continued to pass her by. As if she was no one, as if she wasn't worth noticing in the first place.

And now. Just when she thought that she had taken up a place in the archery club, that girl had come and proven that a position like the one that Sakura had needed months to build, she could overtake in a matter of minutes. It was almost as if that girl was saying that no matter how hard she tried, she would never be able to catch up. No, it would actually have been better if that girl had even implied such a thing in her behaviour. Instead, Sakura had seen the curious light in that girl's eyes when their sights had met. A telling sign that it was the first time that she had even been noticed by that person.

When she thought about it, dark and hateful emotions rose up inside her. They told her to the other girl, to her and take her place. Another side of her told her to the girl, to her and her so that she would be forced to notice the one doing such things to her. To that girl so deeply that the scars on her soul would never fade, leaving forever the knowledge of who it was that was responsible.

"No, no, no. That's bad. I can't do something like that," Sakura whispered to herself as she shook her head to clear it of such wild ideas. She was breathing a bit raggedly, her body unconsciously responding to the thoughts inside her head.

A crunching noise behind her as someone stepped on the leaves that littered the forest floor. Sakura whirled around, anxious to prevent anyone from seeing her in such a state, but she quickly let down her guard when she saw that it was only her brother.

"Sakura? What are you doing here?" Shinji said with a frown on his face.

"Just cooling my head a bit nii-san," Sakura replied as she straightened up. "Why are you here?"

Shinji scowled. "Since when do you need to know what I am doing?"

Sakura winced and shook her head. "I was only curious nii-san. I didn't expect to see you here."

"Hmph, if you must know I was on my way home. I expect that you are going to prepare dinner on time?"

"Yes, nii-san."

Shinji scowled again, annoyed with something.

"See you later then," he nodded at her.

"See you at home nii-san."

"Damn lesbians, why do they always have to stick together like that?" he complained out loud as he walked away.

Sakura froze mid-step when she heard what Shinji had said. 'They' were 'together'? There was no mistaking who he was talking about. It could only be those two people.

Pshhk. A crackling noise under her hand. Sakura looked up, surprised by the noise and was disconcerted to find that she had inadvertently stolen the life from the tree she was leaning against.

"Ugh..." she couldn't go back to the dojo. Not when her emotional control was this messy. Not when she would have to face 'them' as if nothing was wrong.

"Not now... I can't face them yet..." Sakura mumbled as she walked away to distance herself from the tree she had killed with her sorcery.

There was an air of fragility about Sakura as she walked back towards the main school building to get a spare change of clothes from the lockers. A mood about her that made her seem as if there was thin porcelain skin that hid beneath it a dark light that could burst forth at any moment.

"Not yet... But soon, _sempai_."

Sakura's last words seemed to hang in the air after she had departed, a chilly promise of things to come and deeds to be accomplished.

**2-2**

The school looked very different in the night. Grounds that were full of life by day turned into desolate shells from which a ghost could come out at any time and not look out of place. It truly struck home the fact that what made up a school was its students and staff, not the buildings themselves.

It was into this lonesome domain and Kirika and Rin intruded with their servants. At an hour when all good students should be stuck in their books or asleep, they jumped the fence at the back of the school to head for their objective. The archery dojo where earlier they had located the heart of the ward around the school.

They were going past the last of the trees when Kirika remembered something she had forgotten to ask before.

"Hey Rin."

"Yes Kirika?"

"Now that I'm a master aren't I supposed to go register myself and my servants at the Church?" Kirika asked with her head tilted curiously.

"Huh? Don't worry I..." Rin froze as she remembered that she had meant to go to the Church the day before but had completely forgotten due to the shock she had received from Kirika's twisting of the Grail Wars rules.

"Rin?"

"... Ha ha ha. Oops?" Rin chuckled nervously. "I guess we will have to go do that once we are done here."

Kirika's face scrunched up in displeasure. "Can't we just ring up that pseudo-priest?"

"I don't want to see him either," Rin sighed. "But it would be bad manners to not see him at least once."

Giving up, but not happily, Kirika pouted and looked away. Seeing Kirei was not something she enjoyed. There was something about the man and his manner that always offended her on a basic level, and it wasn't just his inability to appreciate any food that wasn't hot enough to set your tongue on fire.

"Excuse me Kirika, but is there something between you and this man of the church?" asked Lily who had been walking behind them.

"Not really," Kirika said with a strained face.

Puzzled by her expression, Lily inquired further.

"Then why not go see him?" she asked. "According to my knowledge all you have to do is go and tell him your name and the class of your servant, do you not?"

"If it were anyone else, yes," Kirika replied mournfully. "The problem is, Kirei is technically my guardian as well as a former teacher of mine."

Saber didn't understand what was so wrong about this and asked about it. "In that shouldn't you be on better terms with him master?"

"..."

"Master?/Kirika?" Saber and Lily blinked simultaneously as a gloomy aura seemed to form around their mistress.

"Good terms? With him?" Kirika's voice was shaking as she stared blankly into the air. "That perverted priest? The sadist who treated me like some kind of dress-up doll? The freak who thinks good cuisine involves filling one's mouth with the edible equivalent of molten lava? Ha ha ha..."

Next to the traumatised Kirika, Rin winced slightly and looked away. It was one secret of hers that she could never tell her friend and apprentice that a lot of the dress-up sessions had been carried out with her input. She had only helped out in order to escape the same fate herself, but she didn't think Kirika would take the knowledge that she had been sold out very well.

"Lily, do you remember all the frilly dresses that were in my wardrobe?" Kirika continued numbly.

Lily nodded, she had seen quite a few such outfits when she had looked in there to find something for herself to wear.

Kirika noted the affirmation and hung her head. "All of those were gifts from Kirei. Half which he made me dress up in and walk around town... Including the maid outfit..."

Again, Rin couldn't prevent herself from a guilty wince. The maid outfit had been her idea, and a good one too! Kirika had looked so good in it, and the photos from then were stored securely in her secret photo album. The one that she sometimes took out when she was home alone to go over with a goofy grin on her face.

Archer noted his master's odd reactions to Kirika's monologue, but didn't say anything about it. It didn't seem like anything that he could reveal out here while they were at risk of attack at any time. Never mind the fact that if it was what he thought it was, the retribution that Rin would deal out would be a thing of legend.

"Ah," Lily thought back to some of the outfits she had seen. Dressing Kirika up in them... Hu hu hu. Interesting. Was there any way she would be able to persuade her master to try some of them on again?

With various thoughts on their minds, the group arrived at the archery dojo. The door was locked, but it was a simple matter for Kirika to gain access for them through the side door which could be unlocked by a strong push on the hinges. She hadn't spent an year in this facility doing club activities and chores for nothing.

"Well, there it is," Archer pointed out as they entered the main hall area where the sigil was. "Do you really think you can do something about it Rin?"

Rin raised an eyebrow. "Well I don't know until I try, do I?"

"Huh," Archer smirked. "Just checking. Can't allow you to mess this up like you did with my summoning after all."

Rin's confident expression faltered as Archer brought up what would no doubt remain a smear on her self-image as a mage until the day she died.

"If you are so unsure I would hate to waste your time Archer," she replied through gritted teeth. "Why don't you make yourself useful and go keep an eye out for other servants?"

"Will do," Archer said obediently as he put his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "I will just go up on the roof and -."

What Archer would have done would remain a mystery, as all three servants present suddenly went on guard and turned towards the shooting yard. The reason for their wariness was self-evident as a shape leapt over the walls to land softly on the dirt floor.

"Master, please get behind me," Saber told Kirika as she moved into a position from which she could cover her.

"You there, announce yourself," Lily cried out, her normal flippant manner discarded for the regal authority of the king she had been.

Archer didn't say anything, choosing instead to simply observe and figure out what the newcomer's next move would be.

The stranger stood up from where he had been kneeling, a graceful motion that brought to mind the movement of a big cat. The comparison was fitting, as the air he gave off was of someone just as dangerous and imposing as one of those great beasts.

"It should be fairly obvious who I am," the servant replied, his red eyes glinting with a feral light. "I would ask what such lovely young women as yourselves are doing here so late at night, but..." A long red spear appeared in mid-air as Lancer reached out for his weapon. "Such a question need not even be asked of a servant of the sword, right?"

Lancer's voice was full of anticipation as he looked at Lily with a provocative smirk on his face. Lily glanced towards Kirika to ask if it was okay to respond, but didn't get an immediate response as Saber came forward to challenge her for the right to go up against their opponent.

Lancer noticed the interaction and the similarities between the two, and frowned in puzzlement.

"Eh? Hold on. Why are there two of you?"

Ignoring him, the two swordswomen continued their silent stand-off, their fingers playing with the hilts of their weapons as if they were eager to settle the dispute that way.

"Saber? Lily? Is this really the time?" Kirika said nervously.

"It would be a simple matter if Saber was to back off as would be polite Kirika," replied Lily. "I was the one that was challenged first, and therefore it is my right to face him."

"I didn't hear any specific challenge Lily," Saber countered. "He asked to face a servant of the sword, and that we both are. Why don't you stand down and let the more thoughtful of us two go first, or were you planning to just rush him carelessly like you seem to do everything else."

"Like you are so much better, miss 'I-have-my-scabbard-stuck-up-my-spine'!" Lily replied loudly.

"You just proved my point," Saber said condescendingly. "Stop acting like such a child and let an adult take care of things."

"I do not need to hear that from someone who hasn't grown up in any way since they were a child," Lily snarled.

"Uhm... You two, calm down please?" Kirika didn't know what to do with her feuding servants.

Left to his own devices, Lancer yawned and scratched his head. "Look, I don't really care who it is, so could you please fight me already? Why don't the both of you come at me if you can't decide who goes first? It won't make much difference to the result either way."

Lancer's arrogant comment bought him the shared emnity of Saber and Lily for a brief moment, but soon enough the two started to bicker again as Kirika tried to calm them down. It was then that a fourth player stepped onto the mat.

"No need to wait up Lancer. I will take you on," announced Archer as he stepped up.

"Archer?"

"Archer-san?"

"Hah?"

Archer's proclamation surprised everyone there, not least of all Saber and Lily, who stopped their fight to look at their ally disapprovingly.

"Archer, what do you think you are doing?" Lily asked, confused by his apparent fit of insanity. "Your opponent is the fastest of the servants. You can't be thinking to take him on when he's this close."

"Yes Archer," Saber agreed with her counter-part. "Leave this to us. Your abilities will be better used in later battles instead of a duel like this."

Archer frowned as both Sabers dismissed his combat ability. Okay, so maybe his stats were a bit low compared to some of the other servants, but this didn't mean they could ignore him. Hell, they didn't even know how he fought! Where did they get off dismissing him like this?

Rin was no help to Archer's mood either as she berated him for his apparent foolishness. "Saber is right Archer, you can't take on Lancer like this. Stand back and let them take care of it."

Lancer too seemed disdainful of his fellow male servant. "Archer huh? Go away you louse, I want to see whether or not the Saber class lives up to their reputation."

That was the final straw. Shaking with anger, Archer ignored the protests of his master and allies and strode forth into the yard.

"All of you, shut up," Archer ordered as he came to a stop a few metres away from Lancer.

The servant of the lance narrowed his eyes at the figure before him as he noted the change in the atmosphere. Something had changed, but he wasn't sure what.

"Ar-cher?" Rin's voice was careful now. this was the first time since she had summoned him that she had seen Archer get angry.

"Rin," the servant called out her name instead of giving her a proper answer.

"Yes Archer?"

"Watch me," Archer smirked. "I will show you what I meant when I said that you had drawn one of the best cards you could have."

Twin swords appeared in his hands, one white and one black. They were of exquisite make, and even an amateur could tell that great care had gone into their forging.

Lancer frowned when he saw the weapons that Archer was holding. "Hah? Swords? Are you kidding me? Get out your bow Archer, or are you really stupid enough to think you can face me like this?"

Archer snorted. "You can say something like that only when you've beaten me. So..." the servant of the bow tensed his muscles, then used the energy to leap forward at inhuman speeds. "Get ready to go down!"

"You asked for it then!" Lancer replied as he moved to meet Archer's challenge.

-x-x-x-

Sparks flew as the two duelling servants proved why Eirei were considered examples of what the peak of human ability looked like. While Saber and Lily were relatively unmoved by what was for them a pretty good fight between others of their level, Rin was in a state of mild shock as she finally began to appreciate just what they were dealing with in this Grail War.

"So, this is what a battle between servants is like..." she murmured as she tried to keep up with the two combatants with her eyes.

Off to the side however, Kirika was having a much different reaction to the clash of heroes. Or more precisely the particular way that Archer was fighting.

Wielding his two short dao, the engimatic servant was engaging Lancer at a range where the servant of the lance should have held an overwhelming advantage. Contrary to what common sense dictated however, the servant of the bow was holding his own, and even gaining ground as he took one step after another towards his opponent. This surprising state of affairs was only made possible by Archer's strange treatment of his swords. Each time Lancer managed to damage or stike away one of the two dao in Archer's hands, a copy of the same would appear and immediately be wielded as if nothing had happened.

"Just what kind of Archer are you?" Lancer said with growing frustration evident in his voice.

"A good one," Archer grinned as he took yet another step into his opponent's territory.

Lancer's brow furrowed as Archer brushed aside the question. Here he was faced with what was supposed to be the weakest of the three knight classes in this war, and he was losing? Even with the restrictions that were on him, it was an insult to his pride. What made things worse was that this was an Archer he was facing. For a servant to be classified as such it meant that they had to have a weapon worthy of the title and the skill to match. In other words, this bastard wasn't using his full strength in this fight.

Offended as he was by this fact, Lancer stepped things up a notch. Faced with a flurry of strikes that only got faster with time, Archer was forced to retreat a little, and it was this that allowed Lancer to notice what was odd about his opponent.

It wasn't just those weird swords of his that kept on reappearing in his hands. It wasn't even the fact that an Archer had such proficiency with the blades. What was truly odd was how desperate Archer seemed in his defence and offence. The servant's eyes were calm, but Lancer could feel the heart and soul that went into each swing of the twin blades. Such a phenomenon could not be found in someone who wasn't used to treating his weapons as a part of himself, but it didn't make sense for an Archer to have such a connection to a sword. With all the curiousities about Archer piling up, Lancer found himself growing increasingly agitated by the growing mystery that was his opponent.

Kirika was no less agitated herself. As she watched Archer fight she had at first been mesmerised by the way he used the twin swords to shrug off every attack Lancer threw at him, a level of ability that she one day hoped to be able to replicate herself. Then had come the strange sense of... Familiarity and confusion, was the best she could describe it. A strange perturbation that seemed to stem from her soul itself.

It had started softly at first, her mind creaking a little as it tried to figure out why she was so ruffled up by the way Archer was fighting. It had only gotten worse from there as she continued to watch, and... Learn? Was that it? Something about Archer's combat style felt so natural to her that she unconsciously began to image herself fighting as he did. As soon as she did so however, her instincts protested that it was all wrong, and the image fell apart as her brain protested against the foreign movements that she was trying copy. Strange. It was all so strange. What was it about this servant that affected her so?

The young magus' eyes were drawn to the swords in Archer's hands. Twin chinese dao, wider blades than those she preferred, but close enough in form that she had felt something akin to lust when she had first seen them. These two carried that same haunting familiarity about them. As if she had seen them before somewhere when she knew for a fact that she had not. By what means Archer was making them disappear and reappear in his hands she didn't know, but when she watched closely she could almost have sworn he was forming the things out of thin air. Which was... Impossible. It had to be. Gradation Air was not an ability that could copy the weight of history that an item bore. Not even her Projection could manage the same feat, being but an improved version of the same which allowed her to form copies closer to the original, but empty shells all the same. Archer's swords went far beyond that, bearing an unmistakeable quality about them which told of their making at the hands of a master smith.

_Warning, mental contamination. Possibility line 12A-TRUE convergence within ego and id. Mental landscape erosion, cause - sympathetic resonance with foreign mindscape. Attempting merge to harmonise dialogues, failure. Attempting segregation of affected self-images, failure. Warning, mental contamination irreversible._

The fight had built up to a crescendo while Kirika was occupied in her thoughts, and the tempo reached a frenzied peak before Lancer suddenly brought a temporary halt to the exchange by leaping back. Far enough that Archer couldn't immediately come after him.

Lancer was silent for a moment as he glared angrily at Archer, but then he appeared to shake his mood off and straightened up.

"I admit, I underestimated you Archer," Lancer said slowly. "I apologise for that."

"No need to apologise, but I won't refuse what's given," Archer replied smoothly.

"Right," Lancer chuckled darkly before he got serious again. "Let's begin again then, but before we do, get out your bow Archer."

Archer looked at Lancer curiously. "Oh? And if I don't?"

"If you don't, you die," Lancer stated in a tone that held only certainty about Archer's fate. "Last time Archer, get out your bow."

"No need," Archer growled as he took up his stance again. "I'm fine as I am now thank you."

Lancer frowned as his courtesy went ignored, and his mood turned chilly as he slowly brought his lance to point towards the ground.

With that slight motion, all those gathered there sensed the sudden change in the atmosphere. Where before Lancer's presence had been that of a wild beast, it now felt more like that of a guillotine blade ready to fall. Dreadful, and certain in its purpose. A weapon that held a promise of death for those it had targeted.

As the two men faced off, Kirika had been focussed on Archer's hands. She had kept a close eye on the spot where Archer's swords would appear, and she had been rewarded by the sight of the swords unmistakeably coming into being from empty air. How that could be she didn't know, and although she attributed it to some property of the swords themselves, she knew at some base level that this was not so. Archer really was creating those swords every time. She couldn't explain why she was so certain about this, but this was the reality.

_Warning, mental contamination has spread. Warning, destructive resonance between baseline and foreign mindscape. Warning, possibility alignment broken. Attempting to suppress link, failure. Link activated. Warning, control impossible. Warning, suppression impossible._

Cracks began to show in Kirika's inner reality, but they were cracks that she was unaware of. With her head aching, Kirika turned her attention to Lancer and the spear in his hands. It was a foreboding weapon, with runes across its length that promised death and pain for those it was wielded against. The curse of the thorn from which... Wait a second, how did she know that? She had never seen the thing before, let alone heard or read anything about a spear like that.

_Warning, paradigm link active at 2, 3, 4, 5 percent and increasing. Total mental contamination expected. All attempts at suppression, failure. All attempts at segregation, failure. Restoration of baseline - impossible. Warning, mental contamination - assimilation of inherent skill from possibility line 12A-TRUE through to 90-RENA. Breakdown of mental architecture. Overflow, restricting stream, failure. Overflow, cross contamination. Overflow, Gae Bolg, DWYIMYS, (J#J curse. )()()()( JKSFD& overturn time 3987Hkk#Y *HREiiUEn xawgw#*YH-(ER)2839HDUhfisu8Y#*Y(#WHPFD:J-_

Strained past breaking point by the information that was being forced into it, Kirika's mind finally broke down and gave up its control over the streams of information that it had helped to suppress since the incident six years ago. Loosed from its bounds, the data crashed across Kirika's unprepared mind like a flood hitting a city. Fragile memories and mental structures were swept away, and even the stronger pillars that formed the core of Kirika's personality and self began to groan under the forces being brought to bear against them.

Externally, this chaos was expressed quite vocally by Kirika's scream of pain.

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

"Kirika!"

"Master?"

Rin and Kirika's two servants forgot about the duel between Archer and Lancer and rushed to Kirika's side. They called out to her but in her suffering Kirika was not able to hear them, and continued to scream.

"Kirika? What's wrong Kirika?" Rin cried out as she tried to calm Kirika down, frantic to discover what had happened to the girl who was one of the most cherished people in her heart.

"Saber, hold her down!" Lily called out to her mirror image. "She's going to hurt herself if she keeps thrashing around like this!"

"I'll take her legs. You get her arms Lily," Saber replied calmly, but a slight trembling in her voice betrayed her agitation.

While the girls were panicking over Kirika's sudden fit, the two servants who had just been about to let loose with some of the deadliest tools in their arsenal were caught in a limbo, unsure of what to do. They cast glances at each other surreptitiously, looking between the commotion going on beside them and the one facing them. The uneasy standoff between them continued for a long awkward moment before Lancer finally sighed and flipped up his spear into a position at rest.

"I can't fight like this," Lancer admitted when Archer raised an eyebrow.

Archer looked towards where his master was kicking up a fuss over the collapsed girl and understood what Lancer was saying. Letting Kanshou and Bakuya fade away, he straightened up and looked at Lancer with a sheepish smile on his face.

"Uh... You going to stick around?" he asked his fellow servant and man. "I mean, I don't mind fighting you but... It looks like this is going to take a while."

"Nah, I like women and all, but not when they are like that," Lancer gestured towards the girls with his lance.

"Hmm."

"Uh, yeah." Lancer scratched his head and then shrugged. "See you around. We can finish this next time."

"Yeah, you too," Archer replied. "Keep an eye out for arrows when you are out and about."

"Heh," Lancer barked out a laugh as if he found the idea amusing and turned away. "Bye then. You aren't actually so bad."

Archer snorted and waved the other servant off. He made sure that Lancer had departed and that there were no other servants around, then he walked over to where Rin and the others were still panicking over the girl.

He observed them for a moment, ignoring the screams and Rin's abortive attempts to find out what was wrong with her sorcery. Then, when he decided that not much progress was being made, he stepped in and landed a sharp chop on the back of Kirika's head, shutting her up instantly.

"Archer! What do you think you are doing?" Rin shouted, outraged by his action.

"Whoa, I just did that because I thought it would be easier on all of us if she was unconscious for a while." Archer held up his hands as if to proclaim his innocence. "Doesn't help anyone if she's thrashing around like that."

It was a convincing argument, but Rin nevertheless glared at him until Lily agreed that Archer's decision made sense. Even then she didn't forget to throw him an angry look that promised trouble for him later. Archer noted that, and felt once again the difference between the Rin in his memories and the Rin in this... Parallel reality or whatever it was. Back in his timeline Rin had never shown such closeness to anyone until well after the Grail War and all its chaotic effects on their lives had ended. He really had to wonder what had gone on in this world for her to... Have such a close relationship with this unfamiliar girl that had taken his place.

"How is she Tohsaka-san?" Saber asked Rin when the girl finished her examination and sat back.

Rin shook her head slowly. "I don't know what's wrong. There's nothing wrong with her body, but her circuits are going wild." Now that they looked closer, she was shaking as she looked down at her unconscious friend. "I've never seen or heard of anything like this before. It's not like she's burning out her circuits, the amount of prana going through them is too small for that. But something's happening, and I have no idea what it is! Just what is going on?"

"Calm down Rin," Archer said soothingly as he knelt down beside her rubbed her back. "Panicking won't help. Calm down a bit before you think about what to do next."

Realising that she was overly agitated, Rin closed her eyes and began to mumble a meditation charm to calm herself. It was only when she thought she could think straight that she opened her eyes again.

"Whew," seeing that nothing had changed, she turned to Archer and smiled weakly at him. "Thanks Archer, that wasn't like me."

"No, it wasn't," Archer agreed. "The Tohsaka Rin that I've seen was always more graceful than that."

"Eh?" For a moment Rin was surprised by the similarity between what Archer was saying and her family's motto, but Kirika's state soon turned her thoughts back to the immediate concern.

"Rin," Lily's voice was calm, but firm. "Is there anything you can do?"

Rin thought about it for a moment, then sighed. "No, I can't do anything without knowing what's wrong, but Kirei might be able to."

"Kirei? The priest that you spoke of earlier?" Lily asked as if to confirm her memory.

"Yes, him." Rin nodded. "He's a lot better at healing than I am, so he might be able to find out what's wrong with her."

"Then we should go as quickly as possible," said Saber as she stood up. "It wouldn't do for our master to be incapacitated when so many enemies could be after us."

"Yes, you are right," Rin's face was gloomy as she got to her feet. She didn't like being helpless to help Kirika, and she vowed to become more proficient at healing in the future. "Saber, Lily, can you bring her. I would ask Archer to but it would be better for him to scout the route to make sure that we aren't intercepted on our way there."

"I will get her," Lily quickly told Saber. "If something happens I trust you to make sure nothing gets close to me and our master Saber."

Though Lily was smiling with something closer to her usual lighthearted expression in her face, Saber could feel the serious trust that was implied in Lily's statement. Nodding in confirmation, she tightened her grip on Excalibur's hilt. She didn't really like Lily all that much, but she understood the spirit under which such a request was made. It was also a spirit that she would not betray, no matter what it took to see that it was so.

"Come on you two, let's go already!" Rin demanded, concern edging into her voice again.

"Coming," Lily answered as she pulled Kirika up over her back. Saber followed a few steps behind her, while Archer ran forward to scout the path.

It was going to be a long night for the group, and though they didn't know it, this was just the beginning.

2-3

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The cessation of all motion imposed a strange order upon the chaos that had overtaken Kirika's mind. Nonsensical images of people and places that she did not recognise, impossible pictures of things that she had never done, all scattered across a dark sky like the countless stars that decorated the night. Under this unfamiliar heaven stood a lonely temple, a ruin in the Greco-Roman style, all the more mysterious for its imperfection. This alone would have been strange enough, but around this structure lay scattered a multitude of things for whose presence there was no discernible meaning. Swords that came out of legend stood planted in the ground next to a rusty spear. Elegant dresses lay draped over a suit of armour that looked as if it were made from the skeleton of a human. Flowers dotted the mirrored floor, over which trickled a thin film of water which had no visible source. This was but the tip of the mountain of curiosities that could be seen here, and the overall impression that this confusion gave put in mind a surrealist's painting of a scattered mind.

Which pretty much described Kirika's state as she was now.

It was only when one looked carefully at the heart of this insane domain, at the center of the ruined temple that was the only visible structure in this otherwise undeveloped land, that one was able to spot the sole inhabitant of this bewildering kingdom. A little girl of about six, staring blankly into space with lifeless golden eyes while curled up with her knees below her chin.

A flash of light, and a new figure intruded upon this most private of areas. A feminine figure, clad in a black jacket with red trims that accentuated her lines in all the right places. Looking left and right, the copper haired woman appeared to search for something. When she spotted the temple a light of recognition filled her glimmering gold eyes, and it was with a gentle smile that she walked into the broken down edifice.

"Hey there, it's time to wake up," she called out softly as she approached the central altar and the girl who sat crouched before it.

There was no reply from the girl, who showed no signs that she had even heard her.

"Hmmm," the young woman knelt down beside the girl and began to stroke her hair. "Come on now. This isn't a place for you to come to yet, especially not when it's all messy like this."

Looking pointedly at a disorganised pile of odds and ends nearby, the woman sniffed disdainfully and flicked a finger. As a result of that motion, the objects that had been the target of her displeasure floated up into the air and began to organise themselves into some semblance of order.

Nodding to herself in satisfaction, the woman turned back to the girl, and smiled as she saw that the girl had woken up from her daze. The doll like face was still blank, but the eyes were full of questioning, as if they were asking 'how did you do that?'.

"Interested?" the woman asked, to which the girl responded with a slow nod. The smile on her face got a little wider as she chuckled and ran her finger's through the girl's long hair again.

"Don't worry, you will be able to do it soon too," she assured her tiny companion. "We did learn it the same way after all. Or is that will learn?"

With a finger to her lips, the woman wondered about how the grammar would work when she described the event in question. Her actions were incomprehensible to the little girl, whose form suddenly shifted into that of a young boy of about twelve as he got up.

"Who are you?" the boy asked, wary of this stranger in this place that he instinctively knew was forbidden to all others but him. "How did you get in here?"

The woman didn't answer, and only stared at him with an odd glint in her eyes.

"Tell me how you got here already!" the boy shouted when he felt that he was being ignored. "If you don't I will - ack?"

"Kyah! So cute!" The woman cut off his angry demands as she took hold of him in a hug that squeezed him tightly to her larger than average chest. "Pictures! Pictures! Where's a camera?"

"Hey, let go!" the boy protested as he struggled to free himself. What was this crazy lady? And why was she so strong?

The woman finally found what she was looking for in a distant pile of junk, and flicked her finger again. This time a digital camera freed itself from the jumble that covered it and flew over to smack into her hand. With the tool ready, she instantly began to click away like there was no tomorrow, and it was only when the camera signaled that its memory was full that she let go of the boy.

"Hee hee, Rin's going to be so jealous," she giggled as she somehow put that camera into a pocket that was far too small for it.

Breathing hard, the boy looked at her angrily. "What was that? Who do you think you are coming in here and doing whatever you want?"

The object of his ire annoyed him even further as she laughed and pat him on the head.

"Why, me? I am just a possibility," she told him. "Much like yourself actually."

"?" The boy stared at her in confusion. What did she mean by that?

When she saw that he didn't understand she gave him a patronising smile, which made him pout when he realised he was being treated like a child.

"There there," she pat him on the head again. "You will understand eventually. For now though, it's time for you to wake up. You don't want to keep everyone waiting do you?"

The boy frowned, wondering why he felt that he should know what she was talking about. While he continued to think, his body slowly began to change again. Getting a bit taller, and a bit filled out in places, 'he' became a 'she' again.

When looked at side by side, one could see the similarities between the two young women. Both had long copper hair and the same basic facial structure, but the older of the two had the beauty that came with maturity, whereas the younger still had some of the doll-like innocence of youth.

"Ready to go?" the older of the pair asked when her counterpart looked up.

"Not yet," replied the younger as she looked at her older image intently. "One more question."

"Ask away," the older women replied cheerfully.

The younger woman nodded and spoke.

"Who am_ I_?"

A soft laugh, a sound like glass chimes ringing in the wind.

"Anyone who you want to be," the one who had been questioned answered. "You, me, all of us. All of us exist somewhere. But that's not what you want to know right now is it?" she paused to look at the younger woman to confirm her thought, and continued when she got a nod. "Very well. Right now, the name you are probably looking for is Emiya-."

-x-x-x-

"Kirika? Kirika?" someone was calling her name. "Kirei! You said she's alright now. Why isn't she waking up?"

"I never claimed that she was awake Rin," answered a heavy voice, which for some reason made her want to punch someone. "I did almost nothing to help her, and I still do not understand how anyone whose soul was so weakened could recover with such speed. If you have any idea I would very much appreciate the sharing of that knowledge."

"Rin, I think she's awake," said someone else. A voice that she couldn't recall at all.

"Kirika? Are you alright?" the first voice, a very familiar one, asked hurriedly as its owner approached her.

When she opened her eyes, she saw a young woman hovering over her with concern obvious in her blue eyes. It was a face that was actually quite prominent in her scattered memories.

"Ri... Rin?" she said somewhat uncertainly.

The uncertainty in her voice must have worried Rin, because the other girl suddenly looked uneasy.

"Kirika? Is something wrong?" she asked Kirika anxiously.

Was there something wrong? When she looked around Kirika saw that she lay on a bed in a dimly lit room with people standing by looking at her. One was a face that was vaguely familiar, for all the wrong reasons if the slight apprehension she felt was any hint, but the other faces were all ones that were new to her.

"Rin," she whispered to herself as she reaffirmed the identity of the girl who she was now certain was a close friend. She turned her eyes towards the tall man who was dressed in the garb of a priest, and frowned. "... Uhm... Kirei?" she whispered uncertainly. She thought she was right, but a part of her insisted that he be called 'kuro-san'.

Rin was looking at her a bit strangely now, but Kirika temporarily ignored the look to examine the other three people in the room.

A tall man with tanned skin and white hair, dressed in a garb that was a strange mix of the old and the new. Closer to her were a pair of pretty young women, who looked like they might be twins judging by the way they looked like mirror images of each other.

"..." Kirika frowned as she tried to think of who these people could be.

"""...""" Tense silence.

"Uhm..." Nothing. She couldn't for the life of her remember who these people were. "Who are you people?"

Archer frowned, while the twins sighed as if they had expected the question. Rin's reaction to her question was unexpected however, as she began to almost glow with anger for some reason as she glared at the tall tanned man.

"Ar-cher..." Rin growled in a voice that promised intense pain for somebody in the near future.

"What did I do?" the man with a really strange name protested.

"You hit her on the head!" Rin shouted. "Why else would she have lost her memory?"

"Oh, come on! You can't expect me to believe that this is because of me!"

"Isn't it? Mind explaining what did it then?" Rin stalked up to the man and jabbed his chest with her finger.

"Ugh..." The man had no ready answer to Rin's demand.

Any further commotion that might have resulted was stopped as one of the twin girls came between Rin and Archer.

"Tohsaka, it's not your servant's fault, so you don't need to question him like this," said the twin who had her hair in a bun. Kirika noted that the white shirt and navy skirt she wore was also a lot more.

"Saber would be correct," said Kirei, backing up the girl's statement. "It's more than likely that whatever caused her mind such stress fragmented her memories, though not too greatly if she can recognise us." He then looked at the twins as if there was something interesting about them. "I wonder how it is however that you two recognise this."

The other twin, the one who had her hair tied back with a large black ribbon sighed.

"We guessed that something was wrong when we felt our connection to our master disappear," she explained. "Or at least that was how I knew. What about you Saber?"

Saber nodded. "I too noticed this. At first I thought that she might have been fatally affected by her affliction, but since this is not so I must assume something happened to her soul which was powerful enough in its effect to destroy the link between master and servant."

... Master? Servant? Judging by the way everyone was talking the good looking guy with the white hair was Rin's servant while the twins were... Her servants? She didn't remember anything about this, but that might be because she had lost her memory if what was being said was any guide.

Rin sat down beside Kirika and smoothed back some stray strands of hair that had fallen across Kirika's face.

"Kirika, what do you remember about the Grail War?" she asked quietly.

"... The what?" Kirika blinked in incomprehension.

Rin flinched and then palmed her face as she mumbled something about how she should have expected something like this.

"A contest of wills between seven mages, who all battle for the prize with the help of seven heroes summoned out of legend," Kirei stepped into the conversation with his oppressively heavy voice. "The war continues until only one magus remains, granting unto that victor the ultimate prize, the holy grail."

Kirika had no idea what the hell Kirei was talking about, and it showed on her face as she stared at him blankly.

"Hmmm, I may have explained that a little too briefly," Kirei mused as he smiled, an expression Kirika had always thought made him look a little villainous. "Tell me Kirika, what is the last thing you remember?"

"Uhm..." Kirika racked her head to try and answer him.

What followed was a quite long session of inquiry as all sides involved tried to gauge what memories Kirika retained and explain to her the situation that she was in. It took a while, but eventually they made out that Kirika generally remembered events up to about a month ago, albeit with large gaps about things that hadn't left much of an impression upon her. She remembered nothing about the Grail War, apart from the fact that Rin had talked about it some time ago, in no great detail.

"Wait a second, Kirei," Kirika raised a hand to stop Rin as her friend continued to fill her in about some of the events that she had forgotten. "You said that this Grail War will continue until only one person remains. What do you mean by that?"

Kirei looked at her with half-closed eyes. "Exactly what I meant Kirika. Is there something you need explained?"

Kirika nodded. "Yes, I do. Am I to understand that we are supposed to kill these other mages?"

"In most cases, yes," Kirei replied with that annoying smirk of his again. "Across the history of this grail war, very few have been the mages who came out of the contest alive."

Kirika frowned. That was not the answer she had wanted to hear.

"And there's no other way to end the war? I mean, there must be a way to avoid killing them all," she pressed the priest for an answer. "Well?"

Rin sighed, and the... Servants, sighed as well. For his part Kirei only smiled at her with a strangely pleased look on his face.

"Technically, no. There are other methods by which you can force a mage to retire from the war Kirika," said Kirei. "You may find however that this will prove a much more difficult task."

"How so?" Kirika asked, she had remembered enough about Kirei by now that she knew that he would answer any questions honestly, though maybe incompletely if he thought the result would be amusing. She needed him to explain this matter fully if she was going to be able to make any decisions.

"Tell me Kirika," Kirei suddenly stopped and got an annoyed look on his face. "No, I suppose that you wouldn't remember anything about the servants themselves. Let me instead ask you which of these two you would think easier to dispatch. Your average, everyday human, or a dead apostle ancestor."

Kirika's face twitched. "Is this a trick question?"

Rin interrupted them. "What Kirei is trying to say Kirika, is that the difference between a servant and your standard magus is that large."

"Indeed," Kirei agreed. "Each servant is a hero out of legend, with the skills to match. If you consider that they also possess the conceptual weapons that helped turn them into legends... It becomes a much more practical choice for anyone involved in this war to target the master instead of the servant."

"Because if the master dies, than so does the servant," Rin finished for Kirei.

Having to take in all of this at once, Kirika was having difficulties accepting it all. Everything within her protested against the taking of life, whether by her hands or by those of another. However, she also understood from her association with Rin that most mages would not hesitate to kill if it got them closer to their ultimate goal. The Root, the Origin, that ˹ ˼ from which all things came. The holy grail that was the prize of this war, if it truly could do what it was supposed to be able to, would be an irresistible prize for all involved.

Struck by the though, Kirika looked towards Rin, her closest friend and someone who in some ways was something beyond a mere friend. If Rin also was a master in this war, didn't that mean that they would eventually have to fight as well? How was she supposed to be able to do that?

That aside, there was the question of the servants as well. They too had wishes they wanted from the Grail as well didn't they? How was that supposed to work? It was all so very confusing, and there was no clear answer to her dilemma that she could identify.

"This would be a good time I think Kirika, to confirm as the Church referee of this fifth grail war, your participation as a master," Kirei suddenly said to her.

Kirika looked up but didn't say anything immediately. Instead, it was Rin who jumped up to glare at Kirei.

"Of course Kirika is participating Kirei! What do you think you are asking her?" she said fiercely.

Kirei looked at his protege condescendingly. "All participants must confirm their participation of their own accord Rin. I also suspect that Kirika is not so sure of her involvement in this contest as you are. Are you so cruel a 'friend' as to ignore her wishes for your own gain Rin?"

Kirei's sneer only accentuated the taunting tone of his words as Rin turned red from embarrassment. Clearing her throat, Rin turned back to Kirika and made as if to say something, but appeared to think better of it and meekly sat down again beside her.

Having sunk Rin where she stood, Kirei turned his attention towards Kirika.

"As you have figured out by now, this is your last chance to give up Kirika. With the connection between you and your servants gone, it's also the best opportunity you could have asked for should you decide as much. In this case you will be under the protection of the Church during the war." The priest's gaze turned hard as he got down to the more serious talk. "Should you decide to participate, you will become a target for other mages, as surely as the sun will rise in the east tomorrow. Your convictions may tell you not to kill, but let me assure you that the others will have no such scruples. Kill or be killed, the strong surviving over the weak. Will you test your convictions against the trials of this war young Kirika? Or will you instead accept the easy way out to return to your normal life?"

Decision time. As Kirei spoke, Kirika had been thinking fiercely, and now began looking for the last few answers that would decide her path.

"Rin, I have to ask you," she said as she turned to look at the other girl. "If I decide to fight, will you fight me?"

Rin bit her lip as the question she had dreaded was asked, but nodded slowly.

"Yes," Rin said quietly as if the word had been forced out of her. "I have to, for my family's honour as well as to reach to goal that my family has been after for these last 300 years." Rin took a deep breath, sat up, and looked Kirika in the eye. "When that time comes, I will come at you with everything I have Kirika," Rin said firmly. "I will try to avoid killing you, but... I can't promise anything. I'm sorry."

Even as she said this, her strong facade appeared to crack, and Kirika noticed that Rin's eyes were a bit moist as the normally confident young woman appeared to shrink into herself. Unable to stand by watching this without doing anything, Kirika moved closer to Rin and put an arm around her friend and spiritual family member. Rin tried to avoid her but Kirika refused to let her, and held onto her firmly, until Rin gave in and let herself slump against the other girl.

Kirika sighed and looked towards the servants. They were all looking at her with looks of doubt and interest in their eyes. Probably wondering what choice she would make and how it might affect them.

Archer first, she decided, and said. "Archer, could you possibly tell me what your wish is?"

The tall servant got a complicated look on his face upon being asked that question.

"I don't suppose I have one really," he finally said after a while. "There is one thing I might ask of the grail I suppose, but I doubt that even the grail would be able to do _that_."

Everyone gathered there wondered just what Archer's wish was that he was doubtful of the grail's ability to grant it. This when the grail was supposed to be able to grant _any_ wish.

Not really the kind of answer Kirika was looking for, but she supposed it was the best she was going to get from the servant who was beginning to hit her radar as an aberration for some reason. Kirika nodded and looked to the two Sabers that she had supposedly summoned.

"Lily, Saber, what about you two?" she asked them the same question as she had Archer.

"... It is not something I wish to speak of at this moment," Saber said stiffly after a long pause.

Lily raised an eyebrow in response to the way Saber was openly staring at her as she spoke, but Kirika ignored the byplay and tried for another approach to the question.

"Okay, in that case, just tell me if it involves something like world conquest, or turning everyone on the planet into your slaves."

"No! Why in the world would I want to do something like that?" Saber replied quickly, mildly outraged by Kirika's suggestions.

"Oh, good," Kirika nodded. "Lily, you are the only one left."

Lily played with her hair as she appeared to think about the question.

"Hmmm, my wish of the grail Kirika? In that case I would have to say that I wish that I had been born a man," Lily said matter-of-factly.

... Eh?

Everyone, including the normally unshakable Kirei, froze as Lily stated her wish. Kirika herself wondered if she had heard wrong, but no matter how much she went over her memories of the last few seconds, she heard the same thing every time.

"... Excuse me?" Kirika said numbly, needing further explanation for this to make sense to her.

"I wish that I had been born a man," Lily repeated proudly.

"..." Kirika's head was beginning to hurt again. "Why?"

Lily pouted. "Because it would have been more fun! Guys are naturally stronger, so I would have been able to beat that playboy around! No one would have been after me to wear those heavy court dresses either! Most importantly, do you have any idea how much more difficult it is for a woman to make love to another woman? All a guy has to do is stick it in and -."

"That's enough!" shouted a red-faced Saber. "What kind of shameless harlot are you?"

"Hey, I resemble that remark!" Lily replied with a cheeky smile on her face.

"Ha, ha, ha..." Kirika felt drained as all her fantasies about the noble King Arthur crumbled away into dust. She supposed she should feel happier about this since the last of her doubts about the war was solved, but... The revealing of one of Western mythologies greatest heros as a blatant lesbian... Was more than a little shocking to her modest Japanese sensibilities. Archer too appeared to have been K.O'ed by the revelation, as he was crouched over in a corner mumbling, 'this isn't my king Arthur' over and over again.

Well, whatever, Kirika thought as she watched Saber chase Lily about the room. She had made up her mind.

"Hey, Kirei," she called the priest.

"Yes?" he replied as he looked at Lily with the eyes of a scientist watching an experiment gone wrong come to life, a look with equal parts horror and fascination.

"I've made up my mind," Kirika said firmly, and she waited for Kirei to turn and face her before she continued. "I will participate in this Grail War, and I will make sure that none die who do not have to. If that means that I must win the war... Then so be it." Kirika's eyes turned hard, the gold shifting from the warm light of a setting sun into a metallic shine that reflected the strength of her conviction. "I will let no one prevent me from carrying out my will."

Kirei looked at her in silence for a long while, his face so still as to make it impossible to discern what he was thinking. Then, he laughed. A long loud laugh that was full of the malicious joy that Kirika had realised years ago revealed Kirei's true nature.

"Wonderful, wonderful! Such spirit, such strength of will! Why, I haven't seen it's like since I faced Kiritsugu all those years ago!" Kirei surprised Kirika by saying her adopted parent's name, but didn't give her time to comment on it as he continued, subdued now but with steel in his voice. "I, Kotomine Kirei, hereby declare that Emiya Kirika has declared of her own accord her intent to participate in this grail war. Let all know that the seven thrones have been filled, and the battleground set. Under my authority as the church overseer for the war, I pronounce the official beginning of the war. To the victor, glory and power. To the defeated," here he cast Kirika an amused look. "Despair and death, unless they accept the shelter of the Church."

Kirika frowned at Kirei's pronouncement, but kept her counsel about what he should say, more interested for now in how he knew her father.

"Hah," Rin sighed as she stood up. "Melodramatic much Kirei? Come on Kirika, we are finished here."

"Ah, wait Rin," Kirika stopped her and looked at Kirei again. "Kirei, what do you mean you faced my dad? What does he have to do with anything?"

Kirei frowned, as if he wasn't sure why she asked, but soon he was smiling darkly again.

"You did not know?" Kirei asked rhetorically. "Strange, I would have thought that he would have told his heir that he was the winner of the fourth grail war ten years ago."

Kirika stared at Kirei with wide eyes, surprised by what he had just said. Her reaction however was nothing compared to Rin's.

"What? I thought there was no winner in the last war?" Rin shouted, but then froze and looked at Kirika. "Wait a second, your dad? This Kiritsugu person was Kirika's dad? The guy who taught her that crazy method of making her circuits? A mage like that won?"

Kirika frowned again when Rin implied that Kiritsugu was a little... Odd. Still, she had a point, and she didn't want to interrupt Kirei who was about to speak.

"Contrary to the official report, there was indeed a victor in the last grail war," Kirei said in a patronising voice. "Emiya Kiritsugu, a mage who disdained the path of a mage to become the magic-user known as 'Mage-killer'. He and his servant struck down all they faced, until only one remained. Isn't that right, Saber?"

All eyes turned towards the petite servant, who had unexpectedly summoned her armour and had her sword ready as she glared at Kirei.

"Yes, that is right Kotomine," said Saber. "And if I am not mistaken, that last opponent... Was none other than you."

Everyone's gazes followed the end of Saber's arms as she pointed her sword at the priest, and Rin again blew her top.

"You too? And Saber?" she cried out, to which Kirei nodded. "But you never said anything about that!"

Kirei shrugged, as if it wasn't that big a deal. "I was your father's apprentice Rin, what did you think I would have been doing back then?"

"But, but..." Rin palmed her face as she tried to sort through all the sudden revelations that were coming out into the open.

"I am surprised, priest," said Saber, interrupting Rin's train of thought. "How is it that you survived? Kiritsugu won the war as you said, and that means that he must have killed you, his opponent. Your presence here, alive and well, does not make sense."

"I am not sure what happened, servant Saber," Kirei replied solemnly. "All that I know for certain is that while we fought I was near fatally wounded by Kiritsugu. I suppose that the Grail must have decided I had been defeated then, for it appeared before him. After that... Well, I am sure you know better than I would."

Saber's face turned dark at that, as if the memory disturbed her. Kirika would have commented, but she was too busy thinking about something else.

"Kirei, you said this was ten years ago," she spoke hesitantly. "Does that mean that... The fire..."

Kirei sneered, a truly satisfied expression. "Yes Kirika. I do not know what it is that Kiritsugu did with the Grail, but I do know that soon after he went to claim it, the fires descended upon the city."

Kirika's face paled, and her hands shook as she tried to absorb the fact that the person who had saved her and become a role model to her could have been responsible for the disaster that had caused the danger to her in the first place. She looked desperately towards Saber, who seemed to be the only other person who had any answers about that time for her, for any words that might contradict what Kirei had told her, but found no help there.

Saber had her hands clenched tightly around the hilt of her invisible blade as she stared at the floor, saying out loud. "I went with Kiritsugu before the Grail, but when I got there... He commanded me to destroy it."

She fell silent after that, but there was nothing more to be said. Kirei seemed very content about something, whereas Rin had fallen to her knees, as if shocked beyond words that anyone would destroy such a item as the Grail. Lily and Archer were a bit more composed, but the tanned servant seemed troubled by something, and Lily had her mouth tightly shut.

Kirika was no better off than Rin. She had collapsed back onto the bed, still unable to reconcile her memories of Kiritsugu with what she had just heard. It couldn't be possible, she felt, that the Kiritsugu she knew could have done such things. However, she couldn't deny cold reality when it hit her in the face, and she knew that Kirei and Saber had told her the truth. At least as they knew it. Which didn't really make things any better.

"... I don't... Understand..." she muttered. "Why would Kiritsugu have done something like that? It just doesn't make sense!"

Kirika was shouting towards the end, and Kirei looked at her contemplatively.

"Does it really matter?" he asked her.

"What?" Kirika replied angrily, her temper flaring.

Kirei didn't so much as flinch and calmly asked again, "Does it really matter?"

"Of course it matters!" Kirika shouted.

"Why? Tell me that," Kirei questioned her. "His reasons, however incomprehensible are his own. Those of a dead man. Obsessing over them now will not help you, especially not now when you have your own monumental task in front of you."

He could be right, but Kirika did not wish to admit it. Kiritsugu and his teachings were one of the pillars of her self-identity, and right now that pillar was shaking. How was she supposed to focus when she wasn't sure of her own self?

"Kirika, the priest has a point," said Lily, opening her mouth again after a long silence. "Your father, no matter what kind of man he may have been, is now a figure of your past. Dwelling on it can be useful, but you can't let it blind you to the demands of the present."

Was Lily right? Kirika had to think about it for a while. She and Kirei did make a valid point, the grail war was the task immediately before her, and it would demand everything she had if she was to make true the announcement she had made just moments ago. On the other hand, this was Kiritsugu they were talking about. Everything he had taught her, every belief she had taken as her own, they all ran counter to the sort of man who could do the kind of thing he was supposed to have done. Could she fight with her heart uncertain about the very foundation it stood upon? Could she prove her convictions with all these questions within her heart?

It was Archer surprisingly enough who broke the deadlock inside her mind. Striding over to her, he surprised her by suddenly flicking her on the head with his finger.

"Ow!" Kirika yelped and looked to him for explanation.

"You don't have to think so hard about all this," he told her, ignoring her outrage. "Just because Kiritsugu was different in the past, doesn't mean that what you learnt from him was wrong. People change as they get older, and their experiences can change the way they view the world. Think about what he taught you. Does it sound wrong? Is it something that a normal person would think was morally corrupt? No, it doesn't, does it? In that case, just ignore the rest for now. Questioning yourself is something you can do when all your enemies are dead and you have all the free time in the world to do anything you want."

Stunned at first by the flow of words, Kirika stared at Archer. By the time he was talking about questioning herself however, she had a thin smile on her face. He was right. It didn't really matter who Kiritsugu had been in the past, did it? All that mattered right now was that Kiritsugu as a person had been someone she had admired. A champion of justice, whose spirit she had sworn to suceed.

"Thanks Archer," she said as she got to her feet. "I needed that."

Archer ignored her, strangely stiff as he stared blankly into the air. His mouth was moving though, and when Kirika focused her hearing she could make out something along the lines of, '... my god. What was I thinking saying something... I stupid or... the whole point!'.

Strange, but she supposed that everyone had their little oddities. Kirika shrugged and twirled in place so that she was face to face with Kirei as she looked up at his face.

"Archer is right," she told her former teacher and tormentor. "It doesn't matter who Kiritsugu may have been. What he taught me was right. The strength of my own convictions, that's what will be tested now. Not yours, not my fathers, but mine."

Kirei looked more pleased than ever as he looked at her as a teacher might at a pupil who had grown up much better than they had ever hoped.

"I take it then that you still fully intend to do as you said and win this war?" he asked as if to make sure.

Kirika nodded. "Yes, I will. Because that's what's right."

Kirei laughed again, but it wasn't a mocking laughter like it could have been. It sounded more to Kirika as if he had suddenly found joy in life or something. Odd, but that was the closest she could come to describing the emotional tones that Kirei's laughter conveyed.

Kirei calmed down, and coughed as if he found his outburst a little embarrassing.

"Ahem. In that case Kirika, as your guardian and as your former teacher, I can only wish you well for the future." Kirei smiled thinly. "May you find in this war everything that you are looking for."

An odd thing to say to someone, but Kirei was just strange like that. Kirika nodded to him once more and turned to face the others.

"Come on Rin," she said to her friend and possible future rival. "Time to go."

Rin had mostly recovered, and she quickly took her place beside Kirika. She didn't forget however to look back at Kirei before they walked out the door.

"Don't think this is over Kirei!" she called out to the annoying priest. "We _will_ be having words about this later. You remember that!"

"I look forward to it Rin, but let me remind you that the moment you walk out that door the grounds of this church are forbidden to you until either the war ends or you come here, defeated." Kirei sneered. "Feel free to come here before then if you wish to give up though. The Church welcomes all, even cowards."

"Ugh!" Rin grimaced, outmaneuvered once again by Kirei's slippery tongue.

Kirei chuckled, and added another comment as they exited.

"Oh, and don't worry about having to fight Kirika to avenge your father Rin," he called out to them as he came to stand by the door. "Kiritsugu never got anywhere near your father. It was the Matou mage that killed him."

Rin turned around to shout something when Kirei revealed just who had killed her father, but the sadistic priest had already slammed the door to the private room shut. She stood there for a while, apparently torn between kicking the door open to demand answers and continuing on their way out. Finally, she let out a heavy breath and relaxed.

"Damn pseudo-priest," she muttered darkly. "He has a lot of explaining to do once this whole war is over."

After that no words passed between the members of the group as they walked out towards the road that led back home. Each of them had things to think about. Rin wondering about the name Matou and its implications, Kirika about her father, and the servants about their own complicated pasts and their present. So wrapped up in their own thoughts were they that it would have been a silent walk back to the Emiya residence had not their second opponent in this Grail War happened upon them.

**2-4**

They had just crossed the bridge and were going through the park when she appeared.

"Finally!" They heard a bright young voice exclaim. "I found you onii-chan~!"

With their servants instantly alert for threats, Rin and Kirika were wondering what was going on when a little girl holding a strange stick jumped out of the bushes on the far end of the path they were on.

"That took forever!" she complained out loud as she brushed away a leaf that had stuck to her purple coat. "Never mind though. Now that I've found you I can ki-ki... Huh?"

As everyone on Kirika's side wondered what was going on, the girl began to look up and down between them and the stick in her hand. She appeared to be confused about something as her expression was that of someone who couldn't understand why something was in front of her when it should obviously be something else.

The strange interlude continued for a while longer before the girl finally sighed and threw the stick away into the bushes. For the oddest reason, Kirika felt like telling the girl not to litter, the motion being so similar to that of throwing away an empty juice can after one was done with it.

"Uuuuu," the girl pouted and looked at them annoyedly. "I knew I shouldn't have listened to that stupid old man. What does he mean that worthless stick is a priceless artefact? It can't even find one person!"

Kirika was still confused but Rin had apparently gotten some idea of the situation, and she moved to try and clear things up.

"Excuse me," she called out.

The girl stopped here muttering and turned her eyes to Rin. "What is it oba-san?"

Twitch. Rin froze for an instant before she responded, in a much frostier voice than before.

"That white hair and those red eyes. I had assumed that they indicated that you were a member of the noble Einzbern family, but I must have been mistaken," Rin stressed the word 'noble'. "There is no way that they would have sent such a rude little brat as their representative after all."

When she heard Rin's thinly veiled insult, the silver haired girl put her hands to her waist as she leaned forward to glare cutely at Rin.

"Oh, I'm sorry O-ba-san," the girl apologised, making sure to pronounce each syllable clearly. "I suppose you are one of the local mages that live around here? Let me introduce myself then. My name is Ilyasviel von Einzbern, mage of the Einzbern family. Pleased to meet you all."

The girl curtsied graciously, but then ruined it by spinning nonchalantly in place as soon as she had finished. Rin was near boiling point by now, and Saber didn't look all too happy with their new enemy either. Lily and Archer on the other hand were looking at the little girl almost fondly, as if she were just another child acting as children will.

Kirika was the only one who showed no real reaction to the girl's presence. She was caught up in that odd feeling again, the one where she felt as if she should know something, but the knowledge lay just beyond her reach. The feeling had started up with Ilya's appearance, and had only gotten stronger the longer she looked at her. Frustrating, to say the least.

"Oh, that's right," Ilya said as she clapped her hands delightedly. "Baka-san! That was the name of the family that lived here!"

"That's TOHSAKA you abominable little brat!" shouted Rin, unable to restrain her temper any longer.

Ilya tipped her head sideways, visibly surprised by the correction. Soon enough though she put on a naughty smile and danced around in a small circle.

"Toh~saka, Toh~baka, Chew~bacca," she sang in a charming voice. "Could you please tell me if you know someone called Emiya Shirou?"

"I said that's Tohsaka you -... Eh?" Rin was about to protest against the mangling of her family name when the content of Ilya's request penetrated the red haze of her outrage.

"Did you say Emiya Shirou?" Kirika asked, surprised by the mention of the name she had thought buried amidst the ruins of her past.

Ilya's eyes lit up as she spun around to face Kirika.

"Oh! Do you know where he is pretty nee-san?" Ilya skipped up to them until Saber cut her off her approach.

"Uhm... I guess I do," Kirika said sheepishly.

"Yay! The stick wasn't so useless after all!" Ilya said gleefully. "Tell me, tell me!"

"Well Emiya Shirou is..." Kirika's reply to Ilya's question was delayed as she watched Rin frantically signal for her to stop talking.

"Emiya Shirou is... ?" Ilya's eyes were wide as she focused all of her attention on Kirika. She looked so innocent that even Saber felt a bit of her wariness fade away.

Kirika laughed half-heartedly, remembering all the scary stories Rin and Kirei had told her about what would happen if her identity was revealed to a mage. "That's a bit difficult to explain," she told Ilya as she tried to fumble her way out of the pit she had dug for herself.

Ilya pouted. "Oh come on pretty onee-chan! Tell me! I will even promise that I won't kill you if you do!"

Ilya's bribe sunk the atmosphere instantly as the servants bristled at the implied threat to their masters' wellbeings. Archer summoned Kanshou and Bakuya into his hands, while Saber and Lily took up positions in front of Kirika.

"You go a little too far Ilyasviel," Saber told the Einzbern mage as she planted her sword point down in the ground to reinforce the message.

"Eh?" Ilya looked Saber up and down before she looked at Kirika again. "Is this your servant pretty onee-chan? She looks really weak."

It was Saber's turn to restrain herself as her hands tightened upon the hilt of her sword upon being dismissed by a child.

"Would you care to test that remark Ilyasviel?" Saber said through clenched teeth.

For some reason Lily suddenly became alarmed and was about to say something when she was interrupted by Rin.

"You are pretty confident Einzbern for someone who has three enemy servants in front of them," Rin said in a polite voice. "Or is just that you haven't learned to count yet?"

No sir, Rin wasn't angry about being called 'oba-san' while Ilya called Kirika 'pretty onee-chan' at all.

"You stay out of this oba-san," said Ilya, and followed this up by pulling a redeye at Rin. "It's just that all your servants are so wee~eak."

There was the sound of popping joints, which originated from Rin's closed fist. No sir, Rin wasn't angry at _all_.

"As I said just a moment ago, Ilyasviel von Einzbern," Saber raised her sword and pointed it towards Ilya's face. "Would you care to. Test. That. Remark?"

Ilya rolled her eyes. "Oh fine! I will just kill all of you and get the answer out of the pretty onee-chan later!" Ilya skipped back and threw up her arms. "Berserker! Get them!"

"-!"

The ground-shaking roar accompanied the grey-skinned giant that emerged from the air behind Ilya. Unshaken, Saber calmly attempted to jump back so as to avoid the wild swing that was aimed at her.

Attempted being the key word here.

"Saber?" Kirika let out an exclamation of surprise as Saber failed to get clear and barely managed to interpose her sword between herself and Berserker's crude sword-axe. Saber herself appeared confused as to why she hadn't been able to get back in time, and was having trouble holding her sword properly as she landed on her feet close to Kirika.

"Heh? Your servant is so weak pretty onee-chan!" Ilya commented as Berserker charged towards them.

Kirika was still too surprised at the way things had gone to react in time, but found herself moving back anyway as somebody grabbed her by the waist. When she looked, she saw that it was Lily. Who, for some reason, had an abashed grin on her face.

"-!"

Sparks flew off Berserker as Archer rained down a storm of arrows upon him, but to no apparent effect. Berserker did not even slow down as he chased down Saber, who had abandoned any thoughts of a direct confrontation in favour of simple avoidance for now.

"Lily, what's going on?" Rin asked as she shot a gandr at the enemy servant, only to see it splatter against Berserker like a drop of water. "Why is Saber so weak right now?"

"It can't be helped Rin," Lily said meekly. "Our link to Kirika was broken, and we are both in the state we were in when we were first summoned."

"Eh?" Rin looked at Lily in consternation. "But that means..."

Lily was staring up at the sky. "Yes. To borrow the words of one of my knights. We are in quite the mess."

"Ha, ha, ha..." Rin's laugh was dry as she took in that information. Looking up at the rooftops where Archer had taken station, she then shouted, "Archer, we need some time! Can you hold Berserker off by yourself?"

"What, alone? With all of you here? Are you kidding me?" was Archer's reply.

Ilya was scornful of Rin's order as well. "Oh please Baka-san. There's no way your pathetic Archer could even hope to scratch my Berserker."

That was it. Rin couldn't take any more.

"Archer!" she shrieked. "I don't care what you do! Take that thing down and show this brat why you don't mess with the Tohsakas!"

Archer made a face, but summoned a peculiar arrow into his hand anyway. He probably would have pulled it out anyway but it went against his grain to reveal one of his hidden aces this early in the game. Oh well, it wasn't as if he could use it immediately anyway. Not unless he wanted to kill Saber as well as Berserker.

Below him, Saber was stuck in a deadly dance with Berserker as she continuously evaded death by the narrowest of margins. Her body was a lot slower than she remembered, and it was only her almost supernatural instincts that allowed her to remain relatively harm free and mobile. Even then she was already covered countless little wounds as the force of Berserker's wild blows turned the air around his crude weapon into a scything blade that tore at her as it passed by.

"-!"

As she ducked under another ground-shattering blow and got the armour on her back torn away in return, Saber realised that this was an opponent that she would have had difficulty against in her best condition. As she was now she had no chance at all, and she belatedly recalled Lily's look of alarm when she had challenged Ilyasviel. Her 'twin' had probably wanted to warn her about just this, but it was too late now, and she doubted she could even maintain this situation much longer.

While Saber put her life on the line to stay alive, Kirika was faced with a different dilemma in the background.

"I can't do that!" she screeched as Rin once again told her how they needed to do things.

"We don't have a choice," Rin snapped. "I would have preferred we use the standard contract as well, but we are only going to get one chance while Ilyasviel is distracted, and the last time you couldn't do it without this."

"But, but..."

"Not the time Kirika," Rin grumbled. "Hurry up and do it!"

"..." Kirika glanced nervously at Lily, and then at Saber who was barely staying beyond Berserker's reach as Archer distracted the grey giant with his arrows.

Ilya must have gotten a little tired of the cat and mouse game between Berserker and Saber, because she stamped her foot and shouted, "Berserker! Ignore Rin's servant and just take care of Saber! Those piddly arrows can't even hurt you anyway!"

Archer was being looked down on a lot these days.

"Enough dithering," Rin said impatiently. "Lily, just do it!"

"My pleasure," Lily said cheerfully.

Kirika looked at her servant a little fearfully, unnerved by the way she was being looked at.

"Now master," the white knight whispered in a hushed voice. "I would like to take my time and enjoy this like before (before? was Kirika's sudden thought) but Saber's situation requires me to help her quickly, so-."

Moving faster than any normal human could, Lily suddenly ambushed Kirika before she could even think of resisting. Kirika's gasp was smothered as Lily covered her mouth with her own, and Kirika felt her lips being forced open. Something sticky and coppery was passed between them, and her breath cut off until she was forced to swallow. Only then did Lily let her go, and Kirika slumped against her servant as she coughed and gasped for air.

Her head was in such a muddle from the unexpected kiss that Kirika missed what went on for a few seconds after that. She unconsciously did everything that was asked of her, but when she could think clearly again it was to see Berserker leaping at them like some gigantic wrecking ball of doom.

Fight or flight, the ancient equation. Unable to decide, everything slowed down as Kirika's instincts fought each other to a standstill. Sound faded, and Kirika's world shrank until it encompassed only that which she could see. The grey giant flying through the air, Lily shouting for her to get down, and a bright speck of light in the corner of her eyes. She saw everything with an unnatural clarity, but was unable to do anything as her body refused to act as she wanted it to.

She didn't know what it was that first signalled a return to normal perception. It might have been Berserker's sudden twist in mid-air to face something, or it might have been Lily crashing into her so that they both went down to the ground. Whatever it was, sound returned to her world, and it announced its reappearance in the most violent manner possible.

"-!"

As loud as Berserker's roar was, it was dwarfed by the explosion that rocked the still night air. Kirika's ears popped as the overpressure wave passed over her, and if the heat was as intense as it felt, she thought she might have a mild burn on the side of her that faced the epicentre of the blast.

Somebody shook her shoulder. When she looked she saw Lily as she lay on top of her, saying something that she couldn't hear through the ringing in her ears. Kirika motioned her condition to the servant, who nodded as she realised what was wrong and stood to let her up.

Kirika took the offered hand and let Lily help her to her feet. The temporary damage to her ears had thrown her sense of balance out of whack as well, and she doubted she could have stood up without her servant's help.

The flames that the explosion had left behind illuminated park with a ruddy light as Kirika looked around for Rin. She had just located Rin as the other girl got up from behind a concrete decoration, when something hit her foot.

"A... Sword?" Kirika mumbled to herself as the odd item faded out of existence as she watched.

_Error - cataloguing of item: Caladbolg failed. Reason: Parallel line personality actualisation UBW impossible. Conciliating._

_First Shard activation - Successful. Possibility assimilation and registry function, beginning operation._

Kirika felt her a headache coming on as she thought about the strange missile she had just seen. She called it a missile because she somehow knew that the strange twisted sword had caused the explosion, and that it had come from Archer. How she knew this was a mystery, but dwelling on the matter made the headache worse, and so she ignored it for now.

"Ow," Rin was looking at a skinned elbow as she walked up to them. "Stupid Archer, he could have given us more warning if he was going to do something like this."

Oh, she could hear things again. Kirika nodded in agreement with Rin as she looked around for Saber.

"Do you think it was enough?" she asked as she looked around for any signs that Berserker had survived, even as she searched for Saber, who she had last seen jumping away from the enemy servant.

"I think so," said Rin. "I mean, that was an A rank attack no matter how you look at it. No servant could have survived a direct hit like that."

"..." Kirika wasn't so sure, and apparently neither was Lily. The fair haired knight was on her guard as she stared intently at the heart of the flames that licked the crater that Archer's attack had created.

"Be careful," Saber warned as she trudged out of the bushes nearby. To Kirika's relief she didn't look much worse than before. "I can still sense Berserker."

"You are joking," Rin stated flatly as she turned to look at the crater.

With little fuel to burn on, the flames had retreated, and they could see the still form of the huge servant through the heat rippled air. Missing an arm and a significant portion of the upper chest, he would under any normal circumstances have been declared dead. As they watched however, the hulk began to move, and all those there were treated to the sight of a servant defying the laws of nature to restore their body from a fatal wound.

"Regeneration?" Rin wondered out loud as she observed the way that Berserker's body returned to normal. "No, that's more than simple regeneration. It's more akin to an overturning of a result. But, how?"

"Your servant is more interesting than I thought at first Baka-san," Ilya said as she reappeared from wherever she had hidden herself, interrupting Rin's train of thought. "He actually managed to take off one of my servant's_ twelve lives_."

"Twelve lives?" Rin frowned as that phrase pinged something in her brain. "That strength, ignorance of damage, and that restoration. It can't be that..."

"You are right! My servant is Hercules!" Ilya clapped in congratulation of Rin solving the mystery of Berserker's identity. "For his labours in life he was granted immortality by the gods after death. My Berserker is invincible!"

"Hercules..." Kirika murmured.

Ilya's casual revelation of her servant's true name went against all common sense in this grail war, but it was understandable. Hercules was a mythological figure famous across the world and there was nothing in his legends that might prove a critical weakness to him. Ilya had nothing to lose from telling them this, and the knowledge that they faced the greatest of Greek heroes was enough to give anyone pause.

"I admit that I looked down on your Archer, Baka-san," Ilya continued. "But I bet he can't do that again though~."

Rin didn't reply to Ilya's teasing assertion. Saber and Lily were quiet as well. They knew very well what Archer had just done. Though they didn't understand why he would have done such a thing, they knew the cost involved and were silent in the knowledge that Ilyasviel was absolutely correct.

Which left Kirika wondering by herself what the heck Ilya was talking about. Why wouldn't Archer be able to do that again? It was just another arrow wasn't it?

"Anyway, this is boring now," Ilya said sullenly. "I need to find Shirou nii-san, and for that I need that pretty nee-chan over there. So, Berserker! Beat aside that weak Saber and grab the girl!"

"-!" Berserker roared in answer to his master's order.

"Master, get back!" Saber shouted as she ran over to bar Berserker's way. Though she knew she had no chance of stopping him, in her current condition it was the only thing she could do. Hopefully her sacrifice would give Kirika time to retreat with Rin.

In so doing however, Saber had completely forgotten about Lily's presence on the battlefield.

"Ah~ah Ilya-chan," Lily wagged her finger at the doll-like girl as she strode confidently past Saber. "To get to our master, first you have to get past me!"

Lily swung her sword at Berserker, and a golden arc inscribed itself onto the darkness. Clashing with the charging giant, the dazzling light tore through the arm of Berserker to cut deeply into the body beneath. With his arm lost again and a gaping wound in his chest Berserker's dead body continued on for a few steps, carried on by the inertia of his charge, but soon stopped and crashed to a stop onto the ground.

"Berserker?" Ilya's eyes were wide. "What? No way! How did your servant get so much stronger all of a sudden pretty nee-chan? Berserker just lost four lives!"

"Four?" Lily got an unsatisfied look on her face as she herded Kirika away from the temporarily fallen servant. "Only four? I suppose I should have expected that from that way he moved at the last moment, but nevertheless..."

Ilya was obviously upset now. Looking back and forth between Berserker and Lily with frustrated tears in the corners of her eyes.

"Uuuuuuu," Ilya turned her attention to Saber, who had restored her wounds but was still just as weak as she had been when the fight began, if not weaker. The two servants were obivously of the same class, but why were they so different in power?

Noticing Ilya's interest in Saber, Lily glanced at Kirika. "Kirika, could you please recreate the link between you and Saber right now? Something tells me that we will need her at full strength."

Kirika's face went red as an apple, as did Saber's. Neither of them was comfortable with the idea of doing that, especially with another girl. Lily's request however had the effect of tipping the balance of Ilya's considerations, and the little girl let out a shrill shriek of frustration.

"Berserker, come! We are going back," she ordered her servant, judging the situation to be against her. "I'm going home for today, pretty onee-chan. Wait for me though, because I will be getting some answers from you!" Leaving that promise behind Ilya clambered onto Berserker's shoulder with his help. "Oh, and Baka-san? Meh~!"

Ilya stuck out her tongue at Rin over Berserker's back as the grey giant strode away into the night. Rin was too tired to respond to the provocation however, and she simply shook her head as she watched the pair go.

"First you summon king Arthur, and now the Einzberns pull out Hercules from under their robes. How ridiculous is this grail war going to get?" Rin asked of the world in a weary tone.

"Cheer up Rin, at least no one got hurt," said Kirika as she tried to find the bright side in all this.

"For which we were very lucky," Rin reminded her, eyes flashing. "I can't believe we forgot to restore the connection between you and your servants before we left the church!"

"..." Kirika didn't regret the lapse, and for a good reason. "Rin, there was no way I was going to do that anywhere near that place. Do you think Kirei would ever let me live it down if he saw me like that?"

Rin thought about it, and realised that Kirika was right. The sadistic priest would have delighted in being able to sit Kirika down in order to lecture her about the evils of same sex relationships, regardless of the truth of the matter.

"They are gone Rin," said Archer as he came down from the rooftops. "I just saw Ilya get picked up by a car."

"Thank goodness for small mercies," Rin muttered. She hadn't been sure that the rude little brat had really gone.

"Saber, are you alright?" Kirika asked her servant, concerned about the damage that she had seen her take.

Saber looked down at herself. Her armour was in pieces, the blue dress underneath torn and stained with blood where she had suffered wounds.

"A healing spell would be greatly appreciated if possible master, but there is nothing that will hinder me in future battles if that's what you mean," Saber replied once she had gauged her current condition.

"Let me take care of that," said Rin who had overheard. "Kirika isn't that good with healing and restoration."

Rin got out a small stone, and whispered a few words. A soft blue light enveloped Saber, and when it was gone the servant stood there in perfect condition again. At least externally.

"Thanks Rin," Kirika said gratefully. There was no way she could have done that all at once like Rin just had. She would have had to treat one wound at a time, and each one would have taken longer to take care of than Rin's spell just now.

"Thank you Tohsaka-san," Saber bowed slightly towards Rin as she expressed her gratitude.

"I told you, call me Rin," replied the young but skilled mage. "How's your condition now Saber?"

Saber frowned. "Not very good I'm afraid. Fighting with Berserker wearied me much more than it should have. I don't have any problems maintaining my existence for now, but I wouldn't be able to fight another battle until I've restored my reserves of magic power."

"That's why I tried to stop you Saber," Lily told her twin. "It was a bit rash of you to challenge Ilya like that when you knew what state you were in." She paused. "You did know what state you were in, didn't you?"

Saber coughed softly and looked away. "I was a little, distracted. And... I may have temporarily forgotten when Ilya announced her intentions towards our master."

"Silly Saber," Lily chuckled.

Saber coughed again, louder this time. But then, there wasn't much she could say. She had forgotten about her condition, and she had underestimated their opponent. There was no refuting that she had made a mistake.

"Well, I'm tired, and the rest of you must be tired too after everything that's happened," said Rin. "Hurry up and redo your contract with Saber so we can go home Kirika."

"Hah?"

"..." Saber had frozen up.

When Kirika showed no signs of moving anytime soon, Rin sighed and wagged a finger at her.

"We can't leave this till later Kirika. What will we do if we get attack again on the way home?" she waited for an answer but didn't get any from Kirika. "In any case, it's not as if it's your first kiss. Or even your second or third for that matter."

Kirika was staring up at the starry night sky, wondering just which god had decreed that all of her kisses would be with others of her own sex.

When neither Kirika or Saber moved from their spots, Rin frowned slightly and shared a conspiratory look with Lily.

"Again?" she asked the open minded knight.

"Yes," Lily nodded.

"Uhm, just a minute Rin. I feel much better now," Saber told them as she began to creep away from them. "Really, I do. There's no need to rush. I am sure we can do this later. Are you listening Lily?"

"Grab her Lily!" Rin suddenly shouted. "Get her over here!"

Realising that her attempts to delay the event were pointless, Saber tried to run. Weak as she was however, she was unable to get very far before the fully powered up Lily grabbed her and dragged her back despite her strident protests about the indecency of the whole thing.

"..."

"..."

Kirika and Saber tried not to meet each other's eyes as they were forced close to each other by Rin and Lily. Both were red-faced, and their hesitation over the act required was not helped by the two other girls who were hanging over them.

"Uhm, Rin," Kirika spoke up as she accepted, in her head if not her heart, that they were going to have to do this sooner or later. "If we are going to do this, could we get some privacy? It's a bit embarrassing with everyone looking at us."

"Archer, turn around," Rin ordered immediately. "And wipe that goofy grin off your face."

"If anyone has a goofy face around here, it's Lily," Archer replied drily as he obeyed Rin's order. He wasn't so shy that he wouldn't admit to taking a degree of perverse pleasure in watching Saber make out with another girl, but if ordered not to he wouldn't.

Kirika watched him turn around, but raised an eyebrow when no one else moved.

"Don't mind me, I've seen it all before," Lily said with a bright smile on her face. "Carry on."

"What? It's not as if I haven't kissed you either," said Rin when Kirika looked at her after she had glared at Lily.

Kirika sighed. "Rin, Lily, you too."

Lily looked at her plaintively, but acquiesced to Kirika's demand when her master didn't so much as flinch. Rin too seemed to want to keep looking, but saw the growing annoyance in Kirika's eyes and quickly turned around.

With the audience gone, Kirika carefully snuck a look at Saber, but found that Saber was staring at her at the same time.

"..." Saber was fidgeting with her fingers.

"Uhm..." Kirika had no idea what to say.

It took a while before either of them drew up the courage to speak, and when they tried to do so it was at the same time as the other. Which only ended with both of them urging the other to talk first.

"You go first Saber."

"Ah, no. You first master."

A standoff again.

"..."

"..."

As the seconds ticked by, the atmosphere grew more and more uncomfortable for both of them. It was only when Rin cleared her throat to signal that they were taking too long that Kirika sighed and got a little closer to Saber.

"..." Her face only inches from Saber's, Kirika could feel herself going red from embarrassment.

Saber wasn't much better, and was visibly shaking as she tried to keep herself from moving away.

"Uhm... I'm really sorry about this," Kirika said meekly as she bobbed her head.

Saber blushed and shook her head. "It's not a problem master. We are only connecting a pass between us after all."

Contrary to the ease conveyed by her words, Saber's hands were opening and closing as she fought her nervousness about the whole deal.

"..."

"..."

There was nothing more they could say really, and Kirika knew that if they didn't do something soon Rin or Lily was going to lose patience and do it for them. Knowing that whatever Rin and Lily did would be much more embarrassing than a simple kiss would be, Kirika took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and leant in towards Saber.

A short eternity passed by for Kirika as she sensed Saber's lips approach hers. Just before they would have touched, both of them froze, restrained by the morals that they had grown up with. That moment soon passed, and the two of them made contact. Kirika felt Saber jump as their lips met each other, and knew that she had done the same. They fumbled clumsily like that for a while, neither of them very sure as to how they were going to get this done. Finally, remembering how Lily had done it earlier, Kirika covered Saber's mouth with her own.

"Mmph?" Saber gasped, and Kirika almost choked as she felt some air go down her throat. Despite this she maintained the contact, and hesitantly stretched her tongue into Saber's mouth.

To her surprise Kirika felt a sweet taste at the end of her tongue when she entered Saber's mouth, and she stopped for a second to enjoy it. When she came back to her senses, it was to the realisation that Saber was trying to pass something across through their joined mouths and into her. Remembering that this was one of the last steps, Kirika carefully accepted the sticky coppery fluid and swallowed it.

Task complete, Kirika opened her eyes and found Saber's green eyes staring into her own. She became lost in those pools of turquoise for a while, feeling as if she were floating in the warm waters of the Carribbean. It was such a comfortable feeling in fact, that Kirika only remembered that she was still kissing Saber when she heard someone gulp loudly somewhere to their side.

Shocked back to her proper senses, Kirika jumped back from Saber and turned towards the rest of the group. To her displeasure she found that all three of them had turned back to look at them as they... Made a connection.

"Rin! Lily! I thought I told you not to look!" she cried out with her face cherry red from mortification.

"Sorry, sorry," Rin put up a hand in apology. "It's just that you were taking so long, and I got curious."

That wasn't the only reason, but never was Rin going to admit to Kirika that over last few days she had begun to wonder if she was bisexual.

Lily said nothing and backed away from the angry pair. She had never been one for excuses, and she wasn't about to start making them now.

Archer was quiet, but had a smug smile on his face that none of them could see as he stood facing the other way from where Kirika and Saber had been. Having a clairvoyance rank of C had its advantages. An eyesight good enough to pick out individual strands of a person's hair from a tiny reflection being one of them.

"You people..." Saber said ominously in a shaking voice. "Learn some manners already!"

Roaring like a lion on the savannah, Saber leapt after Lily with her invisible sword held high. Since she hadn't completed the connection ritual yet, Lily was easily able to keep beyond her enraged twin's reach, and it took a while for Rin and Kirika to defuse the situation.

This was pretty much the last event of the night. After she had calmed down, Saber swore to serve as Kirika's sword once more, and then everyone returned to the Tohsaka mansion to unburden themselves of the fatigue from the night's activities behind the formidable wards of the estate. For the four girls this involved going to sleep, while the lone full astral retreated to the rooftop, where he spent the lonely hours of dawn thinking about his past and his future. One and the same for him, yet twisted somehow in this strange version of his world that he found himself in. What that meant for him was a mystery beyond his ability to ken, but he had high hopes.

It wasn't as if he had anything to lose by hoping after all.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hardly any spell-checking and a few months late. Here's part 3 of this somewhat fanservice filled fic of mine.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any Type-moon products... In terms of property rights I mean.**

**A memory - The branching path**

Sparks from the fires rose into the sky as the village burned. Orange and red, they glimmered against the dark backdrop of the night until one by one they flickered out.

A troop of soldiers clad in rough leathers walked out from between the ravaged buildings, taking care to avoid the stray flames that had spilled out onto the lone path that traversed the hamlet. Shaking their heads, they looked around for their lord, and approached to report when they found him.

"There be no survivors my king," said the leader of the group to their king and commander. "All slain, to the last woman and babe. Them Saxons were taking no slaves this time."

Garbed in a fur-line cloak that covered armour still stained with blood, the golden haired youth whom they served nodded coldly as he took in their report.

"What of the livestock?" he asked dispassionately. "Food as well. Did they take what was in the storehouses?"

The weather worn soldier paused, then shook his head slightly before he replied. "The livestock be dead as well. It looks like they may have taken some food, but most of it was left to burn."

"They were in a hurry then," the young king said rhetorically. "Very well man, leave me. You will need to sleep if we engage in battle tomorrow as I suspect we shall."

"Yes your majesty," the veteran soldier nodded, but then scratched his head. "Ah, but is it right you leave you alone sir? The wizard and the sirs are not here, and well, it seems a bit risky sir."

"I think I can take care of myself for one night," the king told her soldier in no uncertain tones. "Get back to the camp. Tell Sir Bedivere that we march at dawn tomorrow."

"Yes your majesty," the soldier and his companions bowed and began to make their way back to the camp, not that far from here.

As they left, one of the soldiers whispered quietly to the man next to him. "Did you see him? Not a dither about all those people killed. So cold, it's just not natural."

"Hush, the king's the king. That's all there is to it," the veteran told the speaker quickly, but he himself seemed a little discomfited as he walked away.

They spoke in hushed voices, but in the quiet night the king's enhanced senses made it seem as if they had spoken next to him. A shadow fell over the king's face as he pondered what he had just overheard, sentiments that he had heard repeated amongst many of his subjects before.

'The king has no emotions,' said some. 'The king is not a man like us,' whispered others. There were many other things that were spoken as well, but most if not all of the comments centred around the cold-hearted manner in which he carried out war.

The loss of the few for the salvation of the many. Territory given up and villages sacrificed to set the ground for a counter-attack that would defeat the enemy absolutely. That was Arthur Pendragon's way of waging war, and it was a way of thought that all understood, but few accept.

Somewhere deep in her heart, Arturia Pendragon may have thought the same, once. Arturia however had died the day that Arthur was born, and with her the part of the heart that would have hindered a king in making those decisions that necessity demanded. Arthur heard all that was said about him, but did not waver. Briton was frail, weak from years of feuding between its lord over the succession, the land tired from famine and the after-effects of four invasions. He could not afford to allow compassion to prevent him making the best choice for his kingdom.

So it was that Arthur stared into the flames that licked over the remains of the ruined cottages with an empty heart and a cold resolve. Homes that he might have saved had he divided his forces, but at the risk of being defeated piecemeal by the Saxon warband that awaited them on the plains. Cold logic told that this was not acceptable, and thus this village had been left to its fate.

A crash somewhere in the village. A roof falling in as the fire ate away at the supports below. Nothing unexpected, just nature taking its course. It was soon after this however that Arthur's keen hearing picked up a noise that was out of place in the middle of this scene of death. A babe's crying, coming from somewhere inside the village.

Arthur instantly sprang into action. He may have sacrificed the village for the sake of his soldier's lives, but this was not to say that he wouldn't save those who were still alive to save. Disregarding the fires that barred his way, the young king charged into the still burning ruins in search of the source of the crying.

It didn't take him long to find it. Led by his keen senses, he ran straight towards a house that had almost completely been consumed by the hungry fires. It seemed odd that anyone would still be alive in there, but the way of the gods were not for mortal men to ken. Reaching the building, Arthur plunged straight into the flames, trusting in the power of his scabbard to protect him from the heat.

The inside was filled with smoke, and it was difficult to see anything. Straining his eyes Arthur swept through the cramped interior in search of the babe, and eventually located the little one who was pinned under a burning log that had fallen from above.

Taking hold of the log, Arthur quickly threw it away to the side. He had moved fast, but apparently not fast enough, because the bundle of cloth that the baby had been wrapped in had begun to smoulder. The dirty fabric ignited by the fires that had clung to the log. Coughing slightly from the smoke, Arthur quickly stripped the cloth from the baby and covered the little one with his cloak. It was imperative that he get the baby out of here as soon as possible and he needed some way to protect it from the heat of the flames on the way out.

Charging through the burning ruins, it didn't take long for Arthur to reach a spot far enough away from the village so as for the heat not to choke the baby, yet still provide enough light to see by. Unwrapping his cloak, he examined the young life he had saved, and immediately sucked in a breath.

It appeared that he had been too late. The fires had already licked at the poor baby and a full third of its body was covered in burns. This was probably what had caused it to cry, and it continued to do so now, filling the air with loud notice of its pain.

Without immediate help, the baby was sure to die, and its chances were not so good even if it were to receive treatment. If it survived the night it would need a restful environment and attentive care to recover, both things in short supply out here in the middle of an army marching to war.

Living in an age where it was not uncommon for mothers to abandon their children in times of hunger, Arthur's first thought was to spare the baby its misery and grant it a quick death. The baby was unlikely to live, and even if it did, who would look after it? Better that she grant it the peace that came with death. So said cold reason, yet Arthur was unable to carry out the act. Some last vestige of his humanity, a leftover remnant of Arturia's soul, stayed his hand. The nature of the deed gave him pause as well. Although he had taken many a life since he came to the throne, those had all been those of full grown men, who knew full well what they had been doing. Never before had she knowingly taken the life of an innocent with her hands, and the question of whether she could bear that last stain upon her soul lent its weight to the hesitation that held her back.

_Disjunction. Possibility nexus ßāͺ__΅ƺ__д - (#)Y? #$*I(JLDSY(Jjdi(*pg*($$UTHATUAH_

Something strange happened to the view then. As if two films had been played together on the same reel so that they overlapped on the screen. In one Arthur steeled his heart and extinguished the life that teetered on the precipice before him. This done, he stood and headed back to the warcamp, once more simply the cold and logical king who had sacrificed his heart for the kingdom. In the other image, Arthur acted very differently. Carefully wrapping the baby up so as to protect it from the chill night air, he ran towards the camp, calling for a healer as he went. The visible worry for the life in his hands would have surprised many who thought they knew him, the emotionless king who put thoughts of the kingdom before all else.

The same person, two different choices. That night beside the fires, the roads that two now very different people would walk were decided.

**A memory /END**

**3-1**

Early dawn. Early enough that the sky was still dark. Having escaped the grasp of Morpheus, Saber went to check on her master.

If she hadn't been so embarrassed by the... Connection ritual... Saber would have insisted that she stay in the same room as Kirika. It was the safest option, and if they were attacked a delay of a few seconds as she came from the room next door could be fatal. In the aftermath of that first kiss however, not even the legendary King of Knights had been stone-faced enough to insist that she sleep in the same room as her master. Not when Lily kept insinuating from beside her that she would love to do the same, but for very different reasons.

Shaking her head at the memory, Saber opened the door to her master's room. Lily was a mystery to her, both in her origins and her behaviour. From what little she remembered Merlin say on the matter, and the theories that Rin had come up with, she knew in her head that they were supposedly the same person. This was a fact that she had not yet accepted. She refused to accept that she could ever be so flighty, and Lily had declined to tell them anything of her background.

The door fully opened, and any thoughts about her frustrating 'twin' fled from Saber's mind. Kirika was not in her bed, which showed no signs that anyone had slept in it last night. She had not heard anyone enter or exit the room either. Alarmed, Saber began to think about what could have happened to her master. Kidnapping? She had not sensed anything as she slept, which left only the possibility that the criminal was able to hide from her senses. Servant Assassin then? Theoretically a servant of that class with the highest level of presence concealment could have penetrated the wards and pulled off the feat. It would have been very difficult, even for the servant of the shadows, but it was possible.

Saber stopped herself. She was panicking and over thinking things. Taking a deep breath she calmed herself and considered the situation once more. One, she was still here. This indicated that Kirika was still alive. Two, the room looked undisturbed. This meant that it was likely that Kirika hadn't slept here last night. Three, she thought she could sense Kirika in the kitchen. Four, she didn't sense any threat to her master through... Wait. What? The kitchens?

Wondering how her master could have slipped past her room to get to the kitchen, Saber made her way down the stairs to the main living area. She heard someone humming as she went towards the kitchen, and frowned when the sound didn't match the tone expected of Kirika's voice.

The reason for that was soon explained when she entered the kitchen to find Archer there instead of Kirika. Not finding the person she had expected threw Saber off for a moment, but the greater shock to her senses came from Archer's appearance. The male servant had discarded his jacket and had on a functional pink apron as he happily chopped away at some veges.

"Good morning Saber," he called out as he continued to work.

"Good morning Archer," Saber replied hesitantly. Seeing Archer prepare food with the proficiency of an old housewife made her wonder yet again about his true identity. Cooking and housework were odd skills for a servant to possess, and she could not think of any great hero who fit the image Archer had shown thus far.

"You need anything?" Archer asked when Saber continued to stare at him.

Saber shook her head. "No, I am fine. Have you seen my master?"

"Kirika? She's probably still sleeping in Rin's room," Archer told her. "It's a bit early for even her to be up isn't it?"

"Yes it is," Saber agreed. Strange. Why had she mistaken Archer for her master? Now that she looked again, she could distinctly feel the difference in their presences. How odd.

She turned around to go and check on her master once more, but stopped again before she had taken more than a few paces. It was too early, and her master needed to rest after all she had gone through last night. Also, there was the question of what she might find if she went into the room where Kirika and Rin slept together. Since she had been summoned she had observed the interactions between Kirika and Archer's master, and had the suspicion that their relationship went deeper than simple friendship. Confirming that suspicion would only serve to make her even more uncomfortable around her master than she already was.

"..." With no desire to explore her master's sleeping habits, Saber turned her thoughts to other things. "Archer, have you seen Lily?"

"Hmmm?" Archer looked up in the middle of tasting the soup. "Oh, her? She's out in the yard right now. She said something about needing to regain her edge."

"Regain her edge?" Saber seemed doubtful of her twin being so diligent. "Truly?"

Archer shrugged nonchalantly, more interested in the heat of the flame under the pot.

"Who knows?" he replied without much thought. "Why don't you go and check upon her?"

Saber thought about it. Her master was still asleep and Lily was by herself. No one else seemed likely to disturb them either. This was actually a good opportunity to have that long talk with Lily that she had wanted, but hadn't found the time for.

"I believe I shall," Saber told Archer.

Archer grunted in affirmation and Saber realised that he was absorbed in his cooking to the point where he had lost interest in everything else. With a rueful grin on her face she left him to his task and headed for the yard. Questions about Archer's true identity occupied her while she walked. The other servant was a mystery that only grew deeper the more she learned about him, and it amused her to compare what she knew with description of heroes she had heard about in her past.

The unmistakeable sound of a sword slicing through the air reached her ears as Saber stepped out into the yard. To Saber's honest surprise, Lily was actually training herself like she had said she would. Down, across, and a thrust. The three basic actions that formed the foundation of all swordsmanship. Lily repeated them over and over as Saber watched, her sword staying true to its path with a surety that only years of discipline could bring.

An irrational pang of jealousy struck Saber as she saw the sword in Lily's hand. Caliburn, the sword she had lost in a foolish display of pride against one of the greatest knights of her time. Though Excalibur was without a doubt a more effective weapon, she had always preferred the earthly splendour of Caliburn over the unworldly beauty of the fairy sword. Seeing Lily holding a Caliburn unbroken and whole made her fingers itch to take hold of her old sword once more. Many times now she had been tempted to ask Lily for the sword, not to keep but simply to hold for a moment or two, but she had refrained out of a fear of what the flippant girl would ask for in return.

"Whew," Lily let down her arms and wiped away the sweat on her brow. "Good morning, me."

As Lily delivered her quirky greeting, Saber's lips twitched. Whether in an aborted smile or a frown even she wasn't quite sure. Being called upon the fact that they were at their roots the same person was not something Saber was comfortable with. The fact bringing up too many questions about their respective lives that she did not want to talk about without testing the waters first.

"Good morning Lily," Saber answered. Her tone was polite and measured, holding function over any hint of familiarity.

Lily grinned. "Did you want to train as well? I'm ready for a short match-up if you are."

The offer was tempting. Very tempting. On any other day Saber might have taken it up, but that was not what she had come outside for.

"Not now," she said wistfully. "Our master is still asleep, and I don't wish to wake her this early with the noise. I would that we talk instead, if you are willing that is."

Lily noted the determined light in Saber's eyes as she asked to talk, and nodded. "Of course Saber. I've been meaning to talk to you myself."

Returning Caliburn to its ethereal state, Lily came and sat down on a lawn chair that was on the patio. Saber sat down across from her on a similar chair, and for a while the two simply looked at each other.

When she judged that they had stared for long enough, Lily smiled and gestured for her to speak, saying, "Why don't you go first Saber? You did suggest this in the first place."

"In that case, may I ask something a little personal?" asked Saber, taking up the offer.

"Be my guest."

Saber leaned forward expectantly. "Did you truly mean what you said about your wish? That you wish to have been born a man?"

Lily chuckled. "What do you think Saber? Doesn't your experience of our lives give you any hints of why I might have said that?"

"I am not sure what to think," Saber replied. "As I ruled I never thought of myself as a woman. That is why I ask you now. Why is it that the issue matters to you?"

When Saber had said that she had never considered herself a woman, Lily's smiled had slipped. By the time she was asked why her wish mattered to her, Lily's face had grown cold and contemplative.

"You and I really are the same person, aren't we?" Lily said as she stared out into the yard. "At least in our beginnings."

Saber wasn't quite sure what Lily meant by that. "If we are the same, than what about your wish?"

"Stories with similar beginnings can have very different ends it seems," Lily replied somewhat enigmatically. "Though I do not know your story, I nevertheless almost envy you in a way."

"What is it that you are talking about?" Saber asked, exasperated.

"Nothing important," Lily replied, dodging the issue. "But yes, I was serious when I said that I wish I had been born a man. As for the why... As I said before to our master, it would have made things much simpler."

Saber frowned as Lily flashed her a naughty smile. She remembered the disgusting comment that Lily had made at the church and wasn't impressed with Lily bringing the topic up again.

"... You jest when you should not," Saber said disapprovingly.

"What better time to play the fool your majesty?" Lily replied playfully. "For a fool must make fun of everyone and everything, including in the end himself."

Again Saber felt that something had been said, but was left unsure of its meaning. Talking with Lily was beginning to remind her of her talks with that lecherous old man who had been her teacher and adviser, and not in a good way.

"Leave your tomfoolery," Saber sighed. "If there was one reason I was gladdened by Merlin's vanishment, it was the absence of such a twisted tongue in my court."

"Then maybe you needed one," Lily answered straight back. "Let me ask you this. What was it that you could not say in front of me last time? Why hide your wish from me?"

Not that the spotlight was on her, Saber shifted uncomfortably. She herself wasn't so sure why she had done that. Her wish was a clear one, without any reason for her to be embarrassed by it. Then why? Was it because of what the Rider of the fourth war had said when they shared drinks below the moon? Or maybe it was because Lily seemed so much closer to the king she now desired for her people. Whatever it was, she was forced to face it now, or avoid Lily and the question altogether.

"I apologise for that," Saber said after a moment of contemplation. "I was uncomfortable with talking about my wish in that atmosphere, and I may have caused offense by not revealing it."

"No need to apologise," Lily assured her. "Just speak your piece."

"Very well," Saber took a breath and let it out. "My wish is that I had never become king."

Lily blinked. "... What?"

"What I said," Saber confirmed.

Lily held up a hand to stop her as she shook her head in confusion. "Wait, wait. What is this you are saying? You don't want to be king? Who else could have been king during our time?"

"Anyone other than me," Saber said in a subdued voice. "The power of the grail is absolute, and I will wish for someone to take my place who would prove a better king than I turned out to be."

Lily was frowning now as she stared at Saber. "You are serious? You wish to change the course of history? Make it so that our story never began?"

"I am the king of my people," Saber replied seriously. "It is my duty to do what is best for them, and this is what I believe to be the best choice for the kingdom."

Lily's eyes turned cold. "And what of us then? Would you be content to sink into obscurity? To deny everything that happened and all those who followed you?"

"If that is what is necessary?" Saber's gaze was cool and steady as she looked back at Lily unflinchingly. "Yes."

Silence. Neither of them speaking as Saber's pronouncement hung in the air between them.

"What happened to you and yours?" Lily asked when she finally broke the silence. "What happened that you would deny what you, what we are so completely?"

"How is it that you do not know, Lily?" Saber hit back. "Surely you must understand where I am coming from. Why else would you be here? Summoned by the grail and the contract you made with the world?"

Lily flinched, and looked away. "You knew?"

"I am the same as you, of course I knew," Saber told her. "Did you not expect me to recognise that you too are not a true spirit?"

Lily smiled bitterly. "I suppose I should have expected that."

The white knight sighed and loosened the ribbon that tied back her hair, letting her hair fall down to veil her face as she turned away from Saber.

"Perhaps you and I are not so different then," Lily said sadly as she stood back up. "But answer one last question for me Saber."

"What is it Lily?" Saber asked with a slight smile of satisfaction on her lips.

Lily turned and looked at Saber with tired eyes. "How did you lose Caliburn?"

Saber's smile fell. "... I lost it when I allowed my pride to lead me astray."

"I see," Lily said quietly. "Merlin didn't stop you?"

Saber drew a circle on the armrest with her finger as she remembered the mage. "He tried, but I didn't listen. He saved my life afterwards, and then led me to the lake where I claimed Excalibur."

"So you already had it back then..." Lily had her eyes closed, and her voice sounded strangely full of pain.

"What of you?" Saber asked, her curiosity piqued. "Why is it that you bear Caliburn, yet not Excalibur? Did not Merlin guide you to the sword?"

"He did, eventually," Lily replied, with her eyes still closed as if she was remembering something. "When earned victory was not enough, he led me to that same lake."

"Then why do you not have it?"

Lily opened her eyes, and smiled sadly at Saber before she headed back inside. "Because, I wasn't the one that I needed it for."

"What?" Saber was puzzled now. "Then who did you give it to? Gawain?"

Lily paused at the door to the mansion and said without looking back, "No. Mordred."

Having stunned Saber, Lily quickly went back inside, leaving more questions than answers in her wake.

-x-x-x-

_... Caliburn, assimilation at 52 percent. ?#*CBR, assimilation at 9 percent. Gae Bolg, assimilation at 19 percent. Caldab$$#dgas, assimilation at 7 percent. Kanshou, Bakuya, assimilation at 71 percent. All true. Possibility line refraction - impossible. Fatal fragmentation of base processes. Recovering -..._

Rubbing her eyes, Kirika sat up and greeted the new day.

"*Yawn* Mmm, morning already?" she mumbled as she looked at the clock. Seven fifteen. Just enough time for her to take a shower and get a simple breakfast ready if she hurried.

Realising that the clock was not hers, Kirika became aware of the fact that she was in Rin's room again. Looking down she found Rin curled up into a ball next to her, and blankly stared at her sleeping face for a while. Rin had bad sleeping habits in the morn, and it wasn't that often that she was able to enjoy a moment like this, so it took a while for Kirika to remember that she had to get out of bed and prepare for school.

"Ye-chah," Kirika leapt off the bed and lightly landed on the floor. "I will wake you in a bit Rin, so keep sleeping."

She got no response from the soundly sleeping girl, but Kirika smiled nonetheless as she went to her room to get a change of clothing for the new day.

On her way she got diverted as she smelled the lovely aroma of warm miso soup in the air. Going down the stairs, she stuck her head into the kitchen, and blinked when she saw Archer setting out the table for four.

"AH! Archer-san! I told you that I was going to make breakfast today!" Kirika cried out as she rushed into the kitchen.

Archer looked up, "Oh so you are up?"

"Gah, you already finished making everything?" Kirika muttered as she went around the kitchen, half-ignoring Archer. "Why didn't you call me?"

"You needed the rest," Archer told her. "Besides, I couldn't wake you up without waking Rin up as well. I didn't think we needed a grumpy witch in the morning, so I let the both of you sleep."

"Muuu," Kirika pouted as she looked over the dishes that had been prepared. All perfect, better than perfect really. The fact that a guy who looked like he had spent his life working outdoors had outdone her in cooking caused her to question her own skills, and she found them lacking in comparison to what she saw and tasted before her.

"By the way," Archer said casually. "Are you sure you are okay dressed like that in front of me?"

"Huh?" Kirika looked down at herself. What was wrong with the way she was...

"Kiyaaaaaaaah!"

Reactions hypnotised drilled into her by Rin cause Kirika to shriek and cover herself up with her arms. Dressed as she was in a half transparent white silk teddy, the action allowed her to conceal those parts most woman held sacred, but not much more.

"Hey, hey. No need to scream," Archer tried to calm Kirika down as he stood up and fetched his cloak from where he had hung it over a chair. "Put this on and-."

"Kirika?"

"Master?"

The door that led out into the back yard flew open as the two Sabers charged into the kitchen in response to Kirika's scream. They froze when they saw Archer standing over their master, the girl crouched down on the floor with her arms held protectively around her, and the other servant looming questionably over her with jacket in hand as if he had just taken the garment off.

"Uh..." Archer gulped as both knights began to glow with rage. "This _really_isn't what it looks like."

Archer's lame attempt to save himself from his destined fate triggered both outraged servants into action.

""ARCHER! DIE! ENEMY OF WOMEN!"" the twins screamed in eerie unison.

Swords flashed in the morning light, and misguided divine punishment was delivered upon the guilty.

**Archer's Adventure - Dead End**

-x-x-x-

Breakfast at the Tohsaka residence was oddly quiet this day.

"... Archer. Why does your face look like Berserker stepped on it then left you to die?" Rin asked as she stared incredulously at her servant.

"... I fell," Archer replied sullenly.

"Right..." Rin raised an eyebrow at the obvious lie, but didn't say anything. If her servant wanted to keep secrets, fine. This secret looked like it would only mean more pain for him anyhow.

With Rin satisfied, Archer cast a dark look towards those who had made him look like this, but only got disdainful sniffs from Saber and Lily. Kirika on the other hand seemed apologetic, but she was unable to say anything as Lily glared at her to keep her quiet.

Seeing that he wasn't going to get an apology for this, Archer scowled and returned to drinking his morning tea. The misunderstanding had been cleared up, but not before Saber and Lily had taken their litre of blood from his body. They also hadn't forgiven him for his perceived transgression, even when he explained that there hadn't been one.

Bloody women. In any argument between a guy and a girl, the girl always insisted that she was right, and did so even in the face of obvious evidence that they weren't. Even more annoyingly. They then proceeded to turn that falsehood into reality, until it became that the guy had been in the wrong all along.

... Bloody women.

While Archer sulked, the four girls had finished eating. Talking amongst themselves as each of them helped to clear away the dishes, they discussed their plans for the day.

"My decision stands Saber," Kirika said stubbornly as she wiped a bowl. "You cannot come with me to school."

"Master, don't be so stubborn," Saber sighed. "The grail war has started in earnest, and you could be attacked at any time. If you are not going to stay in a safe location, you have to at least have one of us with you."

"Archer's coming along with us. Isn't that enough?" Kirika pointed out reasonably.

Lily scowled. "Do you trust that pervert with your life Kirika?"

Rin's ears perked up. "What's this about Archer being a pervert?"

"Well you see Rin," Lily said in a sing song voice as she turned to face the other master. "This morning when -."

"I am not a pervert!" Archer screamed in order to cut her off. "How many times do I have to tell you? That was a misunderstanding!"

Saber didn't say anything, but had a very disparaging look in her eyes as she stared at the accused servant.

"Archer~!" Rin hadn't heard the whole thing, but it was enough. "You and I are going to have a talk after this. _Do you understand me?_"

"Yes Rin!" Archer snapped off a confirmation in response to the dark threads of emotion that threatened to choke him if he said anything else to Rin right now. Better to clear things up with Rin than to try and explain himself now with the unhelpful Lily nearby to interfere.

Meanwhile, Saber and Kirika was in a stalemate over whether or not the servant could follow the student to school.

"For the last time, NO!"

"I refuse to obey you in this master," Saber said for what was probably the eighth time. "Either you prove to me that you can defeat a servant by yourself, or one of us goes with you."

Kirika angrily brushed back her loose hair with her hand. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm going to be in a school with hundreds of other students. No mage is going to be stupid enough order a servant to attack me there. If it isn't a servant I'm certain that I can run away long enough to get to Rin or summon you with the command seal. You did say I can do that didn't you?"

Saber frowned but nodded. "Yes, but it wouldn't do to waste them master. Each of those allows a servant to do what would normally be beyond even us. It would be a waste to use them all like that. Far better that I go with you to prevent such a situation."

"Ah..." Kirika wanted to hit her head against the wall. "Lily, can you help me here? I mean, I wouldn't mind you guys coming if you could turn incorporeal like Archer can, but as you are... I just can't let you come with me."

"Lay off Kirika Saber" Lily said as she joined the argument on Kirika's side. "Let her go alone if she wants to."

"Lily!" Saber protested her twins surrender on the matter. "What do you think you are saying? We can't leave our master helpless like that!"

"She's right though," replied Lily. "No mage is going to expose themselves by attacking in daylight like this. Especially not a compound with so many people in it. At most she will be in danger of being assassinated, but since Archer is there that possibility almost disappears too. She can always summon us if she feels the need.

Grimacing, Saber reluctantly conceded the point. The command seals were there to be used, and it would be very difficult for any assassin to get past Archer's watch and pick off Kirika. Maybe she had a point.

"Fine, do as you will master," she finally said to Kirika. "But don't hesitate to use the command seal to summon us if you are in danger."

"Dont' worry, I'm not so stupid as to avoid seeking help as needed," Kirika said with a relieved smile as Saber finally backed down.

"Please be careful master," Saber added, unable to completely restrain her worry for her master.

"I said, don't worry," Kirika reassured her. "Just worry about how you are going to keep Lily from doing anything stupid while you wait."

Kirika had a point, and both of them turned to look at Lily as she in turn watched Rin interrogate Archer about what had been spoken about at the table. The fair haired young women was chuckling, visibly enjoying her fellow servant's suffering as Rin laid into him verbally and sometimes physically.

"..."

"..."

"Master?"

"Yes?" Kirika replied to her servant's call.

"Can I go with you?" Saber asked as she imagined what might happen if she was alone with Lily.

"No."

"..."

Rin exploded upon learning what had happened earlier from Lily, and the sound of laughter from Lily filled the air as Rin vented her fury upon her hapless servant. If any of the servants in this war could be suspected of causing problems, one of the top suspects would have to be Lily.

**3-2**

Walking to school with Rin by her side, occasionally saying hello to a familiar face. Falling into the familiar routine, Kirika could almost believe that her life was back to normal.

"You don't need to stick so close to me at school Archer," Rin said under her breath, shattering the illusion of normality. "Keep an eye out for threats against Kirika as well."

In his incorporeal state and communicating via the mental connection between master and servant, it was impossible for Kirika to make out how Archer had responded to his master, but from Rin's slight frown Kirika guessed that it hadn't been the answer that Rin had wanted to hear.

"Yes, but do you really think anyone would be idiotic enough to act with all these people around?" Rin sighed, then she leaned her head to the side as if she was listening to someone. "Assassin? Maybe, but during the day? I'm not saying that everyone will keep to the rules, but do you really think anyone would be that reckless?"

"You don't need to worry so much about me Rin," Kirika interjected, surmising what the disagreement was about. "If anyone is in danger between us two it's you. I'm not the one with the famous name here, and no one is going to target a nameless girl like me."

Rin gave her a dark look. "Kirika, it's been days since the war started, and if Assassin or anyone else has been scouting they will have seen you around me. Even if they don't know that you are a master they are bound to try and use you to get to me. It's safer for both of us if Archer watches over you as well.

Kirika didn't agree, but shrugged in response. If Rin was feeling stubborn she wasn't going to be able to persuade her to change her mind. Waving at a classmate of hers, Kirika put the thought aside for now, and resolved to speak privately with Archer later to make her opinion clear.

The two of them reached the school grounds, and had just taken a step into the school itself when Kirika froze, soon followed by Rin doing the same.

"The air..." Kirika whispered. "It's a lot sweeter and stickier than before."

Rin eyes were sober as she opened her senses as far as she could. "I can't be that sure myself, but it does feel as if the ward is stronger than yesterday." Saying that, she scowled. "At this rate the ward will activate in two or three days, rather than the week I first anticipated."

"Do you think the servant that set it noticed us yesterday?" asked Kirika.

"Probably, we weren't being that discrete after Lancer came," admitted Rin. "We will have to do what we can to disrupt the ward today. I would have liked to do something about the central sigil itself, but they will probably have taken steps to prevent that by now."

"Doesn't hurt to check," Kirika pointed out. "If the ward is complicated as you said it was they might not have been able to move it."

"I suppose," Rin admitted, then turned her head to the side. "Archer, can you go and check the dojo? Tell me if the sigil has been removed or not."

Again Kirika assumed that Archer had obeyed, as Rin nodded as if satisfied and assumed her normal poise.

"Are you carrying your Azoth?" Rin then asked Kirika.

"Uhm," Kirika felt inside her bag. "Yes. Do you want me to use it today?"

Rin nodded. "Yes. Since you don't know how to unwork the sigils you are going to have to brute force it and rip them apart with your prana."

"Will that work?" Kirika looked doubtfully at the short blade that she had reinforced with her spare prana everyday since she had gotten it three years ago. "What if the sigils just absorb it?"

Rin smiled more than a little crookedly. "If it was anyone else I might be worried. Since it's you though, there shouldn't be any problems as long as you are using your Azoth."

"Whatever you say Rin," Kirika said with a shrug. If Rin said it would work, it probably would. If it didn't, well. They would deal with it somehow.

"See you later then Rin," said Kirika as she began to head for her own class. "Lunch on the roof?"

"Yes, but I might be a little late," Rin replied. "I need to talk with someone."

"That's not a problem, I'll wait."

Kirika waved at Rin and went inside. Rin on the other hand headed out again with the intent to meet Archer in the time they had available between now and when class started.

The day went by quickly for Kirika after that. Lessons, talking with friends, and the other everyday activities of a student. For Kirika it all seemed like some daydream as she went through the motions while thinking about the strange situation she found herself in.

Mages, heroes out of legend, and the holy grail. If she wasn't a mage herself it would have seemed like some fantastical story straight out of a game or a book. There was no doubting she was involved now though. Two servants of her own, and a psycho lolita out for her blood. Or, was that out for her in order to go for the blood of the boy she used to be. Ack. She hadn't thought that there was anyone around apart from the Fujimuras or Kirei who remembered that old name of hers. These days she didn't even think of herself as Shirou, so it had been odd to see someone call her by that name. Well, not exactly, but the girl had been looking for her and that still counted.

Ding-dong. The sound of the lunchtime bell woke Kirika from the stupor she had been in. Looking down at the notebook in front of her, she realised that she had barely taken any notes in the last lesson. Her memory was no help either, the only thing she could remember being the fact that it had been social studies.

Berating herself for the lapse of attention, Kirika was on the way out to meet up with Rin when a reluctantly familiar face stepped in front of her.

"Where are you going Emiya?" Shinji said in the greasy voice he used with girls.

"To eat lunch," Kirika replied. "Is there something you want Matou-san?"

Shinji frowned a bit, but quickly covered the expression up with an ingratiating smile. "Why so distant Emiya? Didn't I tell you that you should call me Shinji?"

"Didn't _I_ask you to leave me alone?" Kirika said as she backed off a little. "Seriously, go play with one of your girls already."

It was rare for Kirika to dislike anyone, but Matou Shinji was firmly within the top 3 of a very short list in her mind. A quarter of the reason she had given up archery in the first place had been because the narcissistic jerk in front of her had continually harassed her. When he had stopped pestering her earlier this year she thought he had finally grown up, but it seemed as if her celebration had been a little premature.

"Oh don't be like that Emiya," Shinji said with what was now a strained smile on his face. "I just want to talk to you about something. That's all."

"And what would that be?" Kirika sighed. Maybe he would go away if she listened to him.

Shinji crept closer, and Kirika fought down the urge to step back again. She wasn't afraid of him or anything. It was just that the impression she had built up of him was that of a sleasy politician suffering from AIDS.

"I just wanted to tell you about the servant that put the ward around the school," Shinji told her quietly, driving any thoughts about his hygiene out of Kirika's head.

"How did you-," Kirika cut herself off, realising that this wasn't an appropriate place to discuss the matter.

Shinji smirked, knowing that he had gotten her attention with that little tidbit. "Come on, let's go and talk somewhere private."

"What?" Kirika's initial reaction was to tell him no, but her curiosity got the better of her. "In that case why not come with me and meet with Rin. She will probably be the better person to talk to about this."

"Eh?" The smile died. "No way. I don't trust that girl to not screw me over just for being a Matou. You can tell her what I tell you."

Kirika stared at Shinji, only then remembering that the Matous were one of the three families that had set up the grail system according to Rin. She didn't have any more info than that really. Rin had always appeared reluctant to talk about the other two families very much, in particular the Matous. Still, it meant that there was a possibility that Shinji was a master. In that case she wouldn't put it past him to try and do something to her after he got her away from watching eyes.

"Just come out here," Kirika told Shinji as she became aware of all the attention that were upon them. It was well known that although the two were in the same class they didn't get along, and the prolonged conversation that they were engaged in was making many people wonder just what had caused this strange event to occur.

Kirika led Shinji to the stairwell on the far side of the building from the cafeteria. Most of those who used these stairs had done so by now, and thus it was one of the more secluded areas of the school until lunchtime ended at least.

"Alright, we can talk here," Kirika said with her body coiled so that she could move at any moment.

Shinji appeared to be discontent with their surroundings, but he seemed to accept that he wouldn't be getting any further with her if he refused to talk now.

"Geez, a little trust wouldn't hurt," he complained. "I am trying to help you know."

Kirika raised an eyebrow. "Really now? Why would a member of the Matou family want to help potential enemies such as Rin and I?"

"Whoa, whoa," Shinji held up his hands. "You don't understand Emiya. The Matou line is basically dead. I'm just a normal guy who knows about this side through what I've read at home. I'm not a master or anything. See? No command seals."

Kirika frowned as Shinji bared his sleeves to show that there were no marks on his hands or arms. Was he telliing the truth? True, she had never felt anything like the presence that Kirei or Rin put out from him, but she wasn't skilled enough a mage to be perfectly sure. Rin would have been able to tell, which could be why he had been so reluctant to involve the other girl. There was also what he had said about the Matou line being dead. If that was true that meant that there were no longer any mages that were worthy of the title in the family. So how could he have found out anything about the servant who had set up the ward around the school?

"If you are so normal, how did you find out about this servant that you wanted to talk about?" Kirika asked to clear up her suspicions.

Shinji shrugged. "My family may not have any mages any more, but that doesn't mean we've lost everything. When I heard about the grail war starting I used the Ahriman Eye that we had in storage to check for dangers. I was surprised as hell to find that our school had a ward around it."

Thinking through his explanation, Kirika admitted that he could be telling the truth. An Ahriman Eye was a moderately powerful artefact that could reveal danger and track it to its source. One didn't even have to be a full mage to use it as long as you knew how to keep it charged. The most common method being a bit of blood gathered from yourself or another.

"So what else did you find out?" Kirika asked, giving him the benefit of the doubt for now. "You can't have called me out just to tell me that."

"Of course not," said Shinji. "I was about to say that I tracked the ward back to its caster, and that led me to find that someone had set up shop up on the mountain."

"Mountain?" Kirika asked, not sure which one he was talking about.

"Mt Enzou, where the temple is," Shinji told her smoothly. "I'm not sure which servant is up there, but they've been quite the busybody sucking out the souls of people all over the city."

"What?" Kirika blinked. "What are you talking about?"

Shinji looked surprised. "Hah? You didn't know? What did you think happened to all those 'gas leak' victims in the hospital?"

"I haven't being keeping up with the news," admitted Kirika, who remembered hearing something along those line a week ago. "Are you saying that there's someone who is going around attacking civilians?"

"Well duh?" Shinji rolled his eyes. "If you want to stop them, you might want to hurry. They've been collecting from more and more people lately."

Kirika's face was troubled as she processed that information. It was hard to believe that she hadn't had any idea that such a thing was going on. Sure, she had been distracted lately, but if it was so widespread that it was in the news she should have heard something at least.

"Thanks for telling me this," Kirika said grimly. "I need to go talk this over with Rin."

Shinji grimaced at the mention of Rin's name. "Ack, whatever. Just take care of that servant before they do something. I don't want to get hurt just because you two were too lazy to act in time."

Typical of him, was Kirika's thought as she nodded in confirmation. She should have known that he was acting in his own interests rather than out of any worry for those around him. No matter though. The fact that he had acted at all helped a lot, since she now had a tentative target which she could aim at.

Giving Shinji a brief nod of acknowledgement, Kirika headed for the roof where Rin would be waiting for her. If the mage on the mountain was the one who had set up this ward, it was possible that they might be able to dispel it subduing the caster themselves. She also had a personal score to settle with the servant who had chased her across the school a few nights ago. A servant she now suspected belonged to this unscrupulous mage.

How to take care of this unknown that was targeting innocent people was the main thought on Kirika's mind as she opened the door to the rooftop. Looking up to tell Rin about what she had just learned however, Kirika was surprised when she found that there was no one else here.

"Archer?" she called out, just to make sure that the servant wasn't around.

Getting no response, Kirika wondered for a while where Rin could be. She hadn't seen her on the way up here, but the direction she had come from was opposite to Rin's class. It was possible that she had gone to the cafeteria, but Archer had made lunch for them today (which had led her to wonder if he was the heroic spirit of housework). In that case the most likely reason was that she had been delayed, either in her class or on the way here.

She then remembered what Rin had said in the morning, about her needing to talk with someone. A classmate maybe? Kirika didn't know of anyone that Rin was particularly close to in her class other than the Himu-Maki-Sae trio, but it was possible that something had come up. The lengths that Rin would go to in order to keep up her image of a perfect student were quite amusing, and if this was in any way related Rin could be a while.

At any other time Kirika would have waited for Rin to finish and come up, but today she was eager to tell her friend about the information she had received from Shinji. There was also the consideration that she might be able to see Rin talking to someone in her 'miss perfect' mode again. This was a much rarer sight than one might think, and always provided her and Ayako with a good opportunity to needle Rin about her two-faced personality.

"Hu hu," Kirika got a naughty look on her face. "It's been a while since I had anything I could taunt Rin about."

Going back down into the building, Kirika began to look around for Rin. It didn't take her very long to find the other girl, and Kirika crept closer to see who she was talking to.

It took her a moment to place the unfamiliar face. Pretty, but a bit cold and emotionless. Kirika didn't remember anyone in Rin's class who looked like that. It was the almost purple hair that triggered her memories in the end. An overheard conversation between the guys in her class about the Ice Princess of the first years, whose trademark was the faded black hair that looked as if it had been dyed light purple.

Now that Kirika thought about it, the girl was Shinji's sister. Even so, it didn't explain the chill in the air. With arms crossed and mouth set tight, Rin radiated a palpable aura of anger as she stood there as angry as Kirika had ever seen her. Although Rin occasionally let her anger flare, those outbursts weren't that serious. It was when she was cool and collected as she was now that Kirika knew she was truly annoyed about something.

Kirika wondered what was going on as she peeked out at them. Matou was looking to the side, as if she didn't want to meet Rin's eyes. In fact, the way that she was huddled into herself gave Kirika the impression that Rin was bullying her. Knowing Rin though, that couldn't be right. She wouldn't do something like that... Would she?

"Keep your nose out of business that doesn't involve you Matou-chan," Kirika perked her ears as Rin spoke, slowly and deliberately. "If you are not a mage, than there is nothing between us. If you don't want to get hurt, keep it that way."

Matou kept her lifeless eyes on the window as she replied to Rin's frosty warning. "Is that everything you have to say _Tohsaka_-sempai?"

Kirika heard the strange emphasis that Sakura put on Rin's name, and was baffled by the strong reaction that Rin showed to it. A complete shutdown of emotions, as if someone had closed an iron shutter over Rin's face.

"I suppose you are right," Sakura continued. "There's nothing between us two, is there Tohsaka-sempai? In that case why don't you take this-."

Sakura was in the midst of raising her hand towards the ribbon in her hair when Rin lashed out at her. The sound of a meaty slap rung in the air as Rin's hand connected with Sakura's face, and everything seemed to come to a stop. For a moment Kirika couldn't believe what she had seen, but reality soon struck and she came out into the open to protest against Rin's violence.

"Rin, what do you think you are doing?" Kirika shouted as she stalked up to the pair.

"Kirika?" Rin looked shocked by her presence here, but soon composed herself. She looked towards Sakura, who was holding her reddening cheek with a hand, and then clenched her fists and began to walk away.

"Rin?" Kirika was stunned as she was ignored by her best friend. "Rin! Don't walk away! Come back here and apologise to Matou-chan!"

Flustered, Kirika chased after Rin who had disappeared around the corner. This left Sakura by herself, standing there in silence while holding the side of the face that had been struck.

"She hit me?" Sakura whispered to herself once she fully absorbed the fact that Rin had struck her. "She hit me." Sakura repeated in a tone of wonder. "But why? I thought she didn't care any more."

Her hand reached up to brush against the ribbon that was one of her most valued possessions. The same ribbon which just a moment ago had provoked such a strong reaction in Tohsaka Rin when its return was mentioned.

"Does she... Still remember me?" Sakura wondered out loud. "Does that mean she still... No, she said it herself. She's the head of the Tohsaka family now. She doesn't care about anyone who isn't a mage." Sakura began to mumble almost incoherently as she thought things through. "She remembers, but doesn't care? Then, why hit me? Does she still care? Is it because I'm not a mage in her eyes? Because I would be a master if I was a proper mage?"

A wild light began to seep into Sakura's eyes. It was so obvious to her now.

"So all I have to do..." Sakura whispered softly in a sing-song voice. "Is prove to her my worth as a mage?"

Slowly, a twisted grin stretched Sakura's lips. It was a manic expression, kin to those shown by a zealot who had finally found a cause to expend their body and soul for.

"In that case, I'll show you what I have learned," she promised to herself and Rin.

Having made up her mind, Sakura was about to return to her class and the fascimile of a normal life when she heard the clatter of hurried footsteps behind her. She idly wondered who was in such a hurry, and was surprised when she recognised who it was.

"Hah... Excuse me... Matou-chan?" Kirika puffed as she regained her breath after the short sprint. "Uhm, it might be a little strange for me to say this, but I am really sorry for what Rin just did."

Kirika bowed deep, and Sakura was left unsure of how she should respond. She didn't even know why this girl was apologising to her in the first place. Tohsaka Rin had been the one who had hit her, the one who had rejected her. For Kirika-sempai to come and apologise was meaningless. For someone who didn't know anything about the history between the two of them to come and butt in like this, it was even a bit annoying.

"That's alright Emiya-sempai," Sakura said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I was the one who provoked her in the first place. You could say I deserved it."

"Th-that doesn't excuse her!" Kirika stammered. "No matter how angry she was she shouldn't have hit you like that. What if she left a mark? Oh, that reminds me, let me see your face. We can't leave it alone if it looks like it's going to bruise."

"I am fine Emiya-sempai," Sakura protested as Kirika came closer to her. "Really, you don't need to do anything."

Though she was calm on the outside, internally Sakura was getting flustered as Kirika ignored her protests and intruded upon her private space. She knew that Emiya Kirika was a mage, and was worried that she might pick up something that would reveal the truth about her and the Matous before she was ready. That wasn't something she could accept, not when she had just made up her mind to show Rin what she had become. Tohsaka Rin was, could only be, a formidable mage. Even with the advantages that Sakura held, she was unsure of her ability to defeat the head of the Tohsaka family in a straight battle. It was therefore crucial that she retain every advantage she could, one of which was her unrevealed status as a full mage in her own right. An advantage that Emiya Kirika was threatening with her naive concern.

"I said I'm fine!" Sakura said loudly as she pushed the older girl away from her.

Kirika was at first shocked by the fit of temper from a girl who was famous for never showing her feelings, but soon became apologetic again.

"Sorry," she apologised. "I just wanted to help."

Looking at the girl who was smiling at her sadly, Sakura felt a surge of dark anger inside her. The anger was aimed partly at Kirika, but also at herself for her reaction to the older girl's approach. Wasn't it enough that this girl had stolen her place in life? Did she have to make her feel so ugly too? After what she had gone through Sakura knew that she couldn't by any definition be called pure. A stark contrast from this bright and innocent girl before her. Being confronted with someone who had everything she dreamed of made her feel as if the two of them were being compared by the world, and it found her wanting.

"I'm sorry too Emiya-sempai," Sakura told her as she forced herself to calm down. "I shouldn't have taken out my anger on you like that. Please accept my apology."

Kirika shook her head. "No it's fine, it was my fault for ignoring how you would feel right now. I should be the one that's sorry."

Sakura smiled weakly. She wished the other girl would just accept the apology so that she could feel better about herself.

"Uhm..." Kirika fidgeted as she looked at Sakura nervously. "Ah... Matou-chan? I'm not sure what happened between you and Rin, but if it's something I can help sort out could you please tell me? I'm not sure why, but both you and Rin seem really upset over the whole affair."

Sakura felt her face grow cold. "It's nothing serious Emiya-sempai. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to get back to class."

"Huh? Ah, sorry." Kirika apologised again. "Heh heh. I bothered you didn't I?"

Sakura didn't reply and turned away from Kirika. She could feel her control over her emotions loosening the more she spent time around her, and she didn't like it. Before she could get away though, Kirika stopped her again, grabbing her by the wrist.

"Just a second please!" Kirika exclaimed when Sakura gave her a questioning look. "Uhm, it's not much, but please take this."

Something was pressed into her hand, and Sakura looked down and saw a small green gemstone in her palm. It wasn't that big or fancy, but she could feel the power contained inside the smoothly polished stone. Enough power that she was astonished that any mage would give it away.

"What is this Emiya-sempai?" Sakura asked, confused. "I don't have anything that I can give you in exchange."

"Oh, you don't need to," replied Kirika. "Just think of it as an apology for upsetting you. Besides, I couldn't just let you go like that." Kirika lifted a hand and brushed Sakura's cheek. "Rin would kill me if I let a girl pretty as you get their face marked when I could have prevented it."

"Emiya-sempai," Discomfitted by the surprise contact and praise, Sakura backed away, blushing slightly. "Thank you, but I really can't accept this."

"Oh?" Kirika got a playful look on her face. "In that case, I will have to leave you with no choice. Bye Matou-chan!"

Kirika let go of Sakura and hopped back. Turning, she was up and running towards her class before Sakura could even begin to think of a response to her unexpected generosity. Unable to stop her, the younger girl stood there quietly, watching her go.

When Kirika had disappeared up the stairs Sakura looked down at the gemstone that had almost been forced upon her. A chrysoprase, the traditional stone for healing wounds. Apart from the prana that she could feel just below the surface, she couldn't sense that anything had been done to it. Normally this would have meant that the stone was basically useless except as a spell amplifier, but the almost ridiculous amount of prana that had been crammed into it had turned the small stone into a healing charm that could work by itself. A valuable gift, especially to another mage that could use it to make healing serious wounds much easier.

Sakura felt a bit dispirited when she realised that the gift had been just that, a gift. It was unheard of a mage to act without asking for something in return, but she couldn't imagine that the naive girl she had just talked to would have planned something by the act. That meant that she had acted out of simple generosity, and the sincerity of her compassion touched Sakura, even as it upset her. If school rumours were true, the girl had lived with Rin for years. How could she not have learned proper protocol for a mage? Or was it just that she was that pitiable in the other girl's eyes?

Conflicting emotions turned inside Sakura's heart as she thought about Kirika and her gift. Gratitude, distaste, and other unfamiliar emotions that made her want to smile and frown at the same time. As always, Emiya Kirika was an existence that perplexed her.

Another student appeared out of the stairwell. Realising that she had spent too long thinking about things, Sakura headed back to her class, holding the stone up to her cheek as she walked. A mark would raise questions, and they wouldn't be any questions that she would want to answer. For that, she was grateful for the gift from Kirika, as her own proficiency for healing was quite abysmal.

When the gem first touched her skin however, Sakura jumped, surprised when she did not feel the coolness that one automatically associated with stones. Instead, the stone radiated warmth as it touched her sore skin. A comforting warmth, as if someone had laid their hand upon her. Not sensing anything harmful in the effect, Sakura let herself relax and enjoy the sensation.

Quite a few of her fellow students were surprised that lunchtime as Sakura passed them by. The Ice Princess of the first years, famous for her cool beauty and emotionless face. It was the first time that any of them had seen her smile so warmly.

3-3

When was the last time that the mood between her and Rin had been so strained? Kirika couldn't remember as she walked home in silence just behind her temporarily estranged friend.

Between Rin's straight forward approach to life and Kirika's submissiveness, there had never been any reason for the two of them to clash. Occasionally one or the other might lose their temper over something that had been done, but in these cases the offending party usually acknowledged their wrong and accepted the blame without any fuss. Today's standoff over Rin's harsh treatment of Sakura and her refusal to apologise or explain was probably the first time the two had ever seriously argued.

Truth be told, Kirika couldn't understand how things had gotten this way. It was clear enough that Rin was in the wrong this time, and it was unlike her best friend to refuse to admit to her mistakes. During the lunch hour, her unwillingness to at least explain herself had led to Kirika throwing up her arms and returning to her class in disgust.

She didn't know what she had expected to happen in the few hours between then and the end of the school day, but she soon found that Rin's stubborn nature had asserted itself in the worst possible way. Meeting up with each other out of ingrained habit, Kirika's had tentatively apologised and invited Rin to talk about what had happened, but met only silence in return. Rebuffed, Kirika had gotten annoyed herself, and hadn't said a word since they passed the school gate.

Trace on. Basic pattern set. Final pattern located. Possibility aligned. Structure confirmed. All phase, cancel.

Unused to such tension, Kirika distracted herself by going through the steps required to project her favoured swords, then cancelling the process before they could materialise. Although it came easily to her now, a few years ago she would have needed up to five minutes to do the same for a simple cup. This while sitting down and focusing on nothing else. She couldn't have imagined then that she would ever reach a stage where she could project a sword while walking along the street.

A lot of that could be attributed to Rin's efforts, Kirika thought morosely. They had spent a lot of their time during their first two years together refining her projection. They had worked on the basics of magecraft as well of course, but Rin had been adamant that she wasn't about to let her waste her broken ability by not developing it to the highest standard possible.

Kirika got even more depressed as memories of the past floated up inside her mind. Rin throwing a tantrum about her breaking the laws of magic, Rin telling her off for not dressing like a girl, Rin smiling at her chillingly while asking why she had cut her hair... Being dragged into the bath by Rin... Dressing up in a frilly dress under the strangely disconcerting eyes of Kirei and Rin... For some reason there were quite a few memories in there that triggered hidden traumas in her heart, but each and every one was a treasured recollection of the time that the two of them had spent together. The Rin in front of her now however, was not one that Kirika had ever seen. The incongruity between the girl she had grown up with and the gloomy young woman before her was not something that Kirika could deal with easily.

Increasingly fretful, Kirika cursed Rin's servant for being a coward and a scoundrel. A third party between them might have provided grounds for a conversation to ease the tension, but the somewhat sarcastic servant was remaining resolutely incorporeal. Bereft of any methods to break the ice, Kirika could only walk as she marvelled at how much longer the way back home seemed today.

Kirika breathed a sigh of relief when they finally reached the house. Once inside something would have to change, whether it be another confrontation or a retreat to their rooms. Anything was better than the nervewracking silence that had ruled over their enforced journey back here together.

Deactivating the ward around the house, they walked in, and stopped as soon as they reached the lounge. No matter how irritable their quarrel had made them, the scene they faced was enough to at least temporarily shock them into thinking of nothing else.

"... Saber?" Kirika called her servant's name in a shaking voice.

The so named servant blushed and refused to meet her master's eyes. If she did it was entirely possible that she might be the first heroic spirit to ever die from mortification.

"Afternoon Kirika, Rin," Lily greeted them as she came through the door. "What do you think? Does she look good?"

"..." Rin was trying to remember where the camera was so that they could record this moment for posterity.

"Ha, ha ha ha..." Kirika didn't know how to reply. Her instincts were warning her that voicing her honest opinion here would result in something black and terrifying coming out.

"..." Archer was silent, proving once again that his Eye of the Mind skill wasn't only for show.

The object of their attention was one King of Knights, currently dressed in a skimpy maid outfit straight out of an anime. Complete with garter belt and laced stockings, the overall image that was created when combined with Saber's innocent reactions was... While the girls stared with childish mirth threatening to overtake them, Archer took a moment to flush out R18 images that for some reason were very clear in his memories. Goddamn Shinji and his pornography.

"Lily..." Saber's voice was shaking now as the embarrassment of being caught like this began to consume her consciousness.

"Your honest opinion Kirika," Lily said as she ignored Saber's growing furor. "Do you think she looks better with these glasses or without?"

"Wait a second," Kirika frowned as she recognised the glasses that Lily held, and for that matter the maid outfit as well. If her memories were correct they were the ones that Kirei and Rin had forced her to wear...

"I thought I threw those away!" Kirika shouted as she whirled to face Rin.

"You thought you did," Rin commented. "You really should look at the back of your wardrobe sometime."

"The back? What else is there?"

Rin giggled. "What do you think?"

Kirika's mind whirled as she thought of all the embarrassing costumes she had been forced to wear over the years. She hadn't thrown out some of the more expensive dresses or plainer clothes, but the rest had been thrown out by... Rin? Oh lord, it couldn't be.

"You don't mean... All of them?" Kirika whispered, stunned.

Rin only smiled mysteriously at her, telling her everything she needed to know.

While the two masters were settling into a semblance of their normal relationship, the servants were playing around with Saber.

"So just why are you in this costume?" Archer asked as he burned Saber's current image into his head. Just because he was an eirei it didn't mean that he was... Okay, he was dead but that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy looking.

"No reason," Saber growled. "And, I am taking this thing off immediately."

"Ah, no you aren't," Lily jumped in. "You lost the bet, and I told you it was going to be for the whole day. Surely you aren't going to go back on your word?"

"Guh..."

Stuck between her word and her honour, Saber was unable to decide on a course of action. Morosely, she hung her head, and would have accepted her fate if it hadn't been for Lily's next words.

"Hmmm, something seems missing," Lily said as she looked over Saber with a critical eye.

She turned to look at Archer with a confused look on her face.

"What's a nekomimi?" she asked the other servant. "My knowledge insists that her outfit wouldn't be complete without them."

Archer raised an eyebrow. "Cat's ears?"

What the hell had the grail stuck into her head when she was summoned here? He wondered as he looked incredulously at Lily.

Lily tilted her head. "I think I saw a pair back there. Let me just -."

The final straw.

"&-*%#^(^*++!"

Another afternoon at the Tohsaka mansionm, and another session of 'Let's play with Saber' ending with a bang. On a side note it took Archer, Kirika, and Lily two hours to clean up the damage from Saber's berserk rampage.

-x-x-x-

"You say Shinji told you all this?" Rin asked, her face grave as she considered everything she had just heard.

Kirika nodded. "Yes, he says he used the Ahriman Eye that the Matou family has. Apparently he himself isn't a mage, but he still knows how to use the artefacts that they have."

For some reason Kirika's explanation only served to put a frosty smile on Rin's face.

"Kirika?" Rin said cheerfully as she walked around the teatable to where Kirika sat.

"Yes?" Kirika replied nervously as she tried to sink into the couch. Nothing good could come of Rin smiling like this.

"Since when did you become such an idiot?" Rin asked as she leaned down to stare into her eyes. "Shinji says he wants to tell you something about the grail war, so you just up and follow him? Alone?" Rin took Kirika's cheeks in her fingers and stretched them about like dough. "Didn't it ever occur to you that he could be a threat?"

"Buuuu he shees heee issn't a maeeze (But he said he isn't a mage)," Kirika tried to explain.

Somehow understanding what Kirika said straightaway, Rin glared at her and pulled at her cheeks again. "You didn't know that before you talked, did you? And did you even suspect that if he can use items like the Ahriman Eye he might be able to use another artefact to harm you? Or even summon a servant? Could you please stop and think before you act?"

Shaking Kirika's head back and forth by her cheeks, Rin was kneeling on top of Kirika now, her previous position leaning over her friend being too tiring. Kirika's yelps of pain at this treatment went ignored by her tormentor and it was only when Kirika's eyes began to tear up that Rin let go.

"Uuuu," Kirika rubbed her cheeks. "That hurt."

"It was meant to," Rin told her drily, before she sighed and rested her chin on Kirika's shoulder. "Just be more careful in the future will you?"

"Yes mother," Kirika droned. "Ow!"

Rin loosened her grip on Kirika's hair and smoothed out the tangle from where she had tugged on it. "Do you need some lessons again Kirika? You are talking back a lot recently."

"No thank you," Kirika said hurriedly. "I will be good Rin, promise."

Rin chuckled weakly and draped herself over Kirika. She was mentally exhausted from the emotional turmoil she had gone through today, and Kirika was a comforting presence now that they had put aside their differences.

"Hmm," Archer cleared his throat. "Not to interrupt, but, what about this mage on the mountain?"

His voice took a while to penetrate Rin's tired mind. Even when it did it provoked a weak reaction as Rin pulled her head up and said, "Do you want to go have a look Archer?"

"If you tell me to, I will," Archer shrugged. "But if he or she has something to do with the ward around the school shouldn't you stop playing around and look to do something about it?"

Rin frowned at him, but admitted that he was right. "Oh fine," she muttered as she got off Kirika.

Redfaced from the display of skinship in front of the servants, Kirika coughed and asked, "About that, do you know anything about the mountain Rin? It seems weird that they would set up shop in the middle of the city. Aren't they asking for trouble that way?"

"That's not exactly true master," said Saber, still in the maid outfit. "The mountain is surrounded by a ward that rejects all but nature spirits, making it near impossible for a servant to approach. It is an easily defendable position, and the convergence of leylines on the mountain make it a good location for a mage to base themselves in.

"A ward?" Rin sat up. "I didn't know there was anything like that around the mountain. How strong is it?"

Saber thought about it. "If I had to compare it... Every time I took a step I would have to expend as much prana as I would fighting against an order given through the command seal."

Rin blanched. "That strong? But in that case how are you supposed to keep your servant around?"

"The ward doesn't cover the entire mountain Rin," Saber explained. "There is one path that runs along the stairs to the summit, and once you are inside the grounds of the temple I believe that the ward has no effect."

"Ah, right." Rin nodded to herself. "They would have to have it like that, or the land would die." Rin paused and frowned. "How do you know all this Saber? More knowledge from the grail?"

Saber shook her head. "No, it was something I heard during the last grail war."

"That's convenient," said Lily. "Anything else we should know?"

"Nothing that I can think of at the moment," Saber replied. "No one actually used the mountain the last time so I have never gone up there."

"Only one way in, and a mage who has a large reservoir of power to draw upon," Archer summarised the situation. "Am I the only one who thinks this looks like a trap?"

"If it's a trap, it's a very good one," said Lily. "Long range attacks are out due to the civilians on the mountain, and a covert strike is impossible due to the ward. If we want to remove the mage we have no choice but to charge in head-on."

"That's not the only thing. Are we sure that this is a human mage we are talking about?" asked Archer. "Caster and Assassin are as yet unaccounted for. The only reason we have to believe that Rider's master is up there is information from one of the three families of the beginning. We know that they have a vested interest in winning the war themselves. Are we sure the information is reliable?"

"No we aren't," said Rin. "But we can't completely discount Matou's story either. We know that servant Rider was at the school, and that there is a ward around the school which will drain everything inside of prana once it is active. Lancer is another possibility, but he doesn't seem like the type that would go for it."

Archer crossed his arms. "That reminds me Rin, are you sure that this boy is not a master in the grail war himself? It seems more than a little suspicious that a supposedly normal person would just happen to have the information that we needed at this time."

Rin flinched, reminded of the confrontation with Sakura earlier in the day. Kirika looked nervous as well as the subject of the Matous was brought up again. She didn't want to start another fight over the issue, even if she still thought that Rin should go and apologise to the girl.

"Rin?" Archer pressed his master.

"You are right," Rin replied slowly. "We need to investigate the Matous at least once. I wouldn't put it past that sleazebag to try and deceive us so that he can surprise us later."

Hearing a slight note of tension in the voice that she had heard every day for the last five years, Kirika felt her curiosity stir anew in regards to the relation between Rin and Matou Sakura. Just what was it that caused her friend to tense up every time the Matou line was mentioned? Was Sakura a mage? From what little she had overheard that did not seem to be the case, and Shinji had said that the Matou line was no longer viable as mages. So what was it? She didn't like being so clueless about something that affected Rin so deeply.

"How do you want to take care of things Rin?" Archer asked. "Investigating the Matous and taking care of the mage on the mountain. Do we take care of them one by one or split our forces?"

"..." Rin still looked troubled as she considered the options.

"I don't believe that we should have any problems even if we do split up," Saber asserted. "Lily and I should be able to take care of any threats on the mountain, and Archer could go look for clues about the Matous."

Kirika frowned. "Isn't that a bit dangerous Saber? We don't know what kind of traps are on the mountain."

"It matters little," Saber said confidently. "In case you have forgotten, my anti-magic rank is strong enough that no spells can harm me. Lily's anti-magic seems a bit weaker but together we should be able to deal with any threat."

"She has a point," Lily agreed. "Although I am not so sure that we should leave our masters alone. Wouldn't it be safer if they go with Archer?"

Archer scratched his cheek. "Guess it is a bit dangerous with Assassin still unaccounted for. How about it Rin? Split up like they suggested?"

"... That does seem like the best option," Rin said with a sigh. "What do you think Kirika?"

"Eh..."

Kirika's mind was split on the issue. She wanted to go with Rin and maybe find out a bit more about the part of her friend's life that had been kept from her, but she also felt that she should go to the mountain with her servants. Her instincts had served her well in the past, and there was actually a good reason as to why she should go with her servants. The personal significance of the former choice however was making her choice difficult, and it was after a lengthy pause that Kirika answered.

"Uhm, I will go with Saber and Lily to the mountain," Kirika declared quietly.

Saber looked at her disapprovingly. "Master, that wouldn't be very wise. You said yourself that there may be traps on the mountain, and while our anti-magic protects us from harm you don't enjoy any such protection."

Kirika shook her head. "It won't get to that. The reason I say I'm going with you is because I will be able to spot any traps on the path and tell you how to get through them. That's right isn't it Rin?"

"Huh? Uhm..." Rin wanted to say no in order to discourage Kirika from trying to go with Saber, but her honesty won out. "Yes, provided that they aren't ancient mysteries like the ward around the school."

"Kirika," exasperated, Saber forgot her usual form of address for Kirika. "I already told you, traps of that kind are no problem for us. Your being there will present a greater danger to us than such things."

"... I'm still going," Kirika said stubbornly. The more she thought about it, the more certain she felt that she was making the right choice. It might just be paranoia, but she somehow knew that if she didn't go with Saber and Lily something would happen to them. "I can't let you two fight without me at least being there."

She left unsaid that another reason was that she wanted to prevent the death of the mage up on the mountain if the attack was successful.

"Master, could you please listen to what I am saying?" Saber beseeched her.

"..."

"Let her come Saber," Lily interjected when it seemed the deadlock would continue forever. "She's going to be going into danger even if she goes with Rin and Archer. We may as well bring her along so that we can keep our own eyes on her."

"Again, don't say something so irresponsible," Saber sighed. "We can't risk Kirika's life when we don't know what is there."

Lily shrugged. "She said she can pick out traps herself didn't she? Or we can run ahead and trigger the traps outself to see what they are. Besides, I doubt that the other side is going to be any better."

"Lily is right," Rin confirmed. "We are going to have to go look inside the Matou residence. They've been on that land for 300 years, so they've had a lot of time to prepare defences."

"I am your master Saber," Kirika added. "Shouldn't you be listening to me?"

Beset on all sides, Saber had to concede defeat.

"Very well master. If you do come please stick right next to me or Lily unless we say not to."

"Okay," Kirika nodded. That much she could do.

"All decided then?" Rin asked the group. "In that case let's have dinner before we go out. It will be easier to move if it's dark."

Archer stood up and dusted his hands. "I will take care of it. Anyone have any requests? Or should I just make some Thai for once?"

"You can do Thai as well?" Kirika asked, surprised.

Archer smiled crookedly at her. "Thai, Western, Chinese, Japanese. Et cetera, et cetera. You name it, I can cook it. Why? Surprised?"

Kirika nodded, wondering once again if Archer's true identity was the heroic spirit of cooking. There was no other explanation for this perfect house-husband's skills.

3-4

A path without end, that was how Kirika had thought of the stairway up the mountain when she first saw it, on a summer night long ago. Going up the steps one by one with Kiritsugu by her side, the trip to the top had been like a trip to the moon, and she still remembered the mild disappointment she had felt when the only thing at the top turned out to be an old temple. Seven years later, the stairway no longer presented such a challenge to the now grown up young woman. Or at least it shouldn't have.

Lit only by the scattered streams of moonlight that slipped through the foliage, the shadowed path gave off an air that warned against all trespass into the temple grounds above. What dangers lay along its length was uncertain, but even to Kirika's untrained instincts, the sense of danger from the path was unmistakable.

"I don't sense any traps on the path itself," Kirika told her servants as she opened her eyes and got to her feet. "There are some spells and wards in place, but they all seem to be focused upon detecting and tracking enemies rather than defending the mountain."

"Confident aren't they?" Lily commented. "Do you think they are inviting us in?"

"No choice but to go forward and find out," said Saber as she went ahead. "Master, please stay back a little with Lily just in case."

"Could you please call me Kirika like I asked you to?" Kirika complained. "Being called master is embarrassing."

Saber's blush was hidden by the darkness as she resolutely kept her eyes facing forward. After the events of the last few days she felt that there was a line in front of her that she would never be able to come back from if she crossed over. Calling Kirika by name was just one effort on her part to stay on the safe side of the line.

The group quietened down once more as they began to climb the stairs. Somewhat relaxed after she found no traps on the path, Kirika found her attention turning to the world around them. A very different world from the one she normally saw by day. With colours faded into shades of grey, and dark shadows claiming those places that the light from the city and the moon did not reach, she wondered why she had never really noticed the difference before. It was colder too. A chill breeze blew down from the mountaintop, stirring the leaves of the trees as it passed. In the quiet of the night, the rustling noise of leaves brushing against each other was the only sound that could be heard from their surroundings. The movement of the treetops also broke up the light from above, sending silver specks dancing across the stone where the path had been overgrown.

The world in monochrome, beautiful in its own way. She would have to enjoy it another time however, as tonight they still had work to do.

"These stairs are rather long are they not?" Lily said in a mildly disgusted voice, breaking the silence.

"Somewhat," Saber replied. "Are you tired Lily?"

"Of course not, I'm just pointing it out." Lily shrugged. "Should we run up? Walking like this is a bit tedious."

"Ah, Lily? I don't think I could keep up with you two if you ran," Kirika pointed out.

"Don't worry Kirika, I will carry you," Lily told her with a smile.

Saber shook her head. "We are nearly there. It doesn't look like they plan to attack us on the way up so we may as well go slowly and carefully."

"Don't you think that's a bit odd?" Lily asked the two of them. "I mean, why drain so many people for prana, and then not use any of it when we are most vulnerable?"

"Maybe they think that what they have inside the temple is enough," suggested Kirika.

Lily was a bit doubtful. "Maybe. I can't help but find it strange though."

"As do I," Saber agreed. "I'm also worried about whether Rider truly is here. This is an ideal location for a Rider to use their noble phantasm, but no one has shown themselves."

None of them had any answers to the questions, so they continued to go upwards in search of an explanation. They were nearly at the top when all three of them stopped.

"There's some kind of ward in place around the gate," said Kirika as she felt the twisted flow of prana in front of her. "I'm going to have to take a closer look though in order to -."

"Please get back master," said Saber as she moved to the side to cover her master.

"Eh?"

"There's somebody here," explained Lily as she drew her sword. She too had been warned by her instincts to go no further, and was curious as to who could provoke such a feeling in her.

"Eh?" Kirika looked around, and didn't see anyone. "Where?"

An answer to her query was not needed as someone stepped out of the shadows of the gate. Kirika was surprised to see that it was a woman. A classical Japanese beauty with long dark hair, dressed in a simple white and purple kimono that complemented her slim but feminine body. She was holding a bundle of some sorts in her hands, a long stick-like item wrapped in white silk. The ease with which she carried it suggested that it was a familiar weight to her, and though it was too long Kirika found herself wondering if it was an umbrella of some sorts, the ornate paper kind that woman used to carry to go out. It would have fit the woman's image perfectly.

While Kirika admired the image straight out of a historical drama, her servants were left unsure of how to treat this person in front of them. The fact that they hadn't known she was here until they got so close hinted that this was not your average housewife, but they could not sense the power and mystery typical of a servant summoned for the grail war. Her open stance, lack of magic power, and apparent frailty all pointed towards her being your everyday normal human.

So why was it, that their instincts were screaming in warning?  
>- That to approach this woman recklessly would mean certain death.<p>

Confused, Saber eyed the item in the woman's hands. The silk was draped loosely over the contents of the bundle, making it impossible to make out its true shape. Guessing as to what it could be, Saber thought that it might be a spear, as the shape was too long to be a sword.

Lily on the other hand wondered if this might be the mage that was supposed to have taken up residence on the mountain. It would be odd for such a person to appear so close to them, but it was still possible. Especially if they had something that they were sure they could use to protect themselves. Her guess was that the bundle held a staff, an enchanted one that would strike out at enemies somehow.

The woman stood there for a while, looking at them with a serene smile on her face while ignoring the hostile intent that Saber and Lily were sending her way. When she realised that none of them were about to approach, she smothered a laugh with one hand and took a step forward.

Instantly, the two knights raised their swords. Saber and Lily were both highly accomplished warriors, and they instinctively perceived the area around a person which was within their scope of attack. Though they did not know what weapon this woman held, they could establish a certain range through the warnings given by their instincts. Those almost supernatural senses were now warning them that only two steps separated them from the outer edge of this woman's territory.

"Stop," Saber warned. "If you come any closer I will take it as a sign to attack."

A small grin stretched the woman's lips as she stopped, so smoothly that it was as if she had never intended to get any closer in the first place.

"Who are you?" Lily asked when a few seconds had passed without a sound. "Are you a servant?"

In response to Lily's question, the woman smiled as if to a friend, and -

"- Servant Assassin, Sasaki Kojiro."

Announced her title and full name in a melodious voice.

"... Eh?"

"What... ?"

"..."

Kirika and her servants were left speechless. Never in their wildest imaginations could they have believed that there would be a servant who would reveal their full name to confidently. It went against all common sense in this contest of heroes, where the disclosure of one's identity meant the revealing of all of one's strengths and weaknesses. Kirika also was shocked that one of the most famous figures in Japanese historical literature was a woman. First King Arthur turned out to be a woman, and now Sasaki Kojiro. Who next? They had covered the West and East, so someone from the Middle East? Gilgamesh?

"You, what do you think -."

Saber began to question Assassin's motives, but was interrupted as Assassin looked at her sadly and sighed.

"I'm disappointed that you would answer me that way, Saber, if that is who you are. There is no elegance in so rude a reply," Assassin complained as if put out. "Is it not good manners to proclaim your identity before a duel? I am dismayed that a fellow swordswoman like me would be so tasteless, especially when they are as beautiful as you are."

She was... Right. Redfaced with embarrassment, Saber had no answer for Assassin as her fault was pointed out. As a knight she prided herself for her manners as well as for her martial prowess, and her honour dictated that she do as Assassin had said.

"I apologise for my lapse Assassin," Saber said as she bowed her head. "Since you have revealed your name, it is my duty as a knight to give you my own."

"Ah, Saber?" Kirika woke up from her daze. "Is that wise?"

"We have our pride as knights Kirika," Lily explained as she too came forward. "Sasaki Kojiro did you say? We are servants Saber, and were known during our lives as -."

"That's enough," Kojiro interrupted her gently. "I forget that others involved in this war are not so free to announce themselves as I am. Please forgive me for being so thoughtless."

She tred lightly upon the stone underfoot as she took another step forward. Just one step, but the atmosphere suddenly became heavy with killing intent as Assassin lowered the end of the bundle in her hands towards the ground.

"Who you were is not important," she told them. "What matters is that you stand before me now, bearing the title of a swordsman. The two of you bear different swords, but I can see that you are both confident in their use. Your refined auras, the beautiful way in which you bear yourselves and your blades, it all makes me shiver with anticipation."

Assassin's eyes glinted as her lips curled into an eager smile. With a quick flourish, she took off the silks that had obscured the contents of the bundle in her hands. As the cloth fell, a silver blade came into view, making eyes widen as they took in the almost ridiculous length of the curved steel that characterised a Japanese sword. A nodachi if one was to call it by its proper name.

"My name is not my own," revealed Assassin as she took the grip in her hands. "Sasaki Kojiro is a ghost if you will, a possibility that might have been, filled by me in response to the Grail's call. But what does that matter? All that I care about, all that you should care about, is that we now face each other. One swordswoman to another. What need is there for words when we have our blades? Is that not the nature of us servants in the first place?"

Having said her piece, Assassin took a stance. She did not move from the position she had taken, atop the step that overlooked the ledge before the temple gate. Saber and Lily realised that this was an invitation, a challenge for them to step inside the domain ruled by Assassin's long sword.

"You speak truly Assassin," said Saber, stepping forward to the edge of Assassin's territory.

Lily frowned when she realised that Saber had taken the initiative. She couldn't step forward now to challenge Assassin herself, as that would mean that it would be two-on-one. As a knight her pride demanded that she only duel someone one on one, and then only when they were in top condition. If she was going to get a chance against this intriguing opponent, she was going to have to do something.

"Assassin, may I ask you something?" said Lily.

Assassin smiled and motioned for her to do so.

"Thank you," Lily said courteously. "I would just like to know if it would be possible for one of us to enter the temple. We can't both go against you, and we have our own goals that we need to achieve tonight. Would you be willing to allow this?"

It was a wild shot that no one expected to succeed. Though Assassin was alone, one servant against two others was a much better situation than a master facing a servant alone. This was true of even a normal servant, but if that servant was the class with the strongest anti-magic of all, than to allow a servant past was not something Assassin could allow.

Yet, she did so anyway.

"Feel free to go inside," Assassin replied to Lily's query. "My orders were to stop one servant. Nothing was mentioned about a second servant and their master."

"Huh?" Kirika couldn't keep up with the way that Assassin kept overturning conventional wisdom.

"Alright then," Lily said happily. "Saber, could you please go ahead?"

"Me?" Saber turned to look at Lily. "Why not you?"

"What, me?" Lily pointed at herself in comic surprise. "My anti-magic rank is only B. Surely you aren't asking me to go in there when I might get caught in a trap that I can't get out of. You are a much better choice since you don't need to fear anything that the mage might throw at you."

Saber made a face. Lily was right, but she couldn't help but feel that she was being cheated somehow.

"Hah~." Saber sighed heavily and looked to her master. "Please stay here. If a mage is waiting inside I will not be able to protect you completely in the event of a grand ritual level attack." She paused and glanced at Assassin, who noticed her look and smiled back. Common sense dictated that Lily should win, but instinct warned of the opposite possibility. Slightly worried, Saber spoke to Kirika again. "In the event that Lily is defeated... Use the command seal to summon me. Please don't hesitate."

Though Saber's worry could have been taken as an insult, Lily said nothing as she loosened her arms. The same instincts that made Saber nervous told her that Assassin was not an opponent to be underestimated.

"If you are done?" Assassin inquired as she moved to one side of the path.

Saber noted the movement, and looked to Kirika one last time. "I will be going ahead master."

"Good luck Saber," replied Kirika. She was a bit annoyed that she couldn't go along, but Saber was correct in saying that she would only be a burden in the situation she described. Besides, she had to watch Lily's battle as well, and perhaps get an idea of why her servants seemed to be so unnerved by Assassin.

"Don't worry about Kirika," Lily told Saber. "I will take care of things on this side."

"Be careful," Saber told her in stead.

Exchanging cautions, the two nodded at each other and then headed for their respective fights. Lily took up position just outside Assassin's territory, while Saber went past them into the temple grounds themselves.

"All ready now?" Assassin asked once the temple gates had thudded shut.

"Come at any time Assassin," Lily told her opponent. "I too am a Saber, but call me Lily if you wish. It makes things less confusing."

Assassin laughed softly. "To think that I could enjoy a duel like this once more. It was worth being called back after all."

A gentle shifting of the feet, silk slithering as the long blade came up to meet the moon's light. Metal ringing as Lily took a stance, her armoured form settling into a stance suitable for charging forward. Subtle movements, but the force of presence behind them exerted an oppressive pressure on the air between the two combatants.

"Then, let us begin," said Assassin as she took the last step forward.

A single step to signal the start of the duel. As their territories crossed into each other, the two legendary swordswoman struck out with all the speed that they could muster.

-x-x-x-

The temple was quiet, unnaturally so. Where there should have been at least the background noise of the mountain, only heavy silence filled the air. There were no signs of life either, this in a temple full of practising monks. Even if they were all asleep the lack of vitality around the buildings was abnormal to the extreme.

"Or maybe not so quiet," Saber said sardonically as a rattling noise began to fill the temple courtyard.

Indistinct shapes began to lumber out from the shadows. Their numbers were in the low hundreds, and the unmistakable stench of sorcery hung about them. When the first of the slow moving horde entered the light, Saber was able to see that they were skeletons. Skeletal warriors to be exact, bearing weapons of bone and what looked to be bronze.

Striding forward, Saber headed into the heart of the line that the skeletons were forming. Sword held loosely by her side, her expression was completely relaxed as she looked to and fro across the courtyard.

No more skeletons emerged from unseen corners, but those that had already come out were more than enough to crowd the half of the courtyard they stood upon. Alone and surrounded by the horde, Saber's position looked precarious. Her instincts told her that each and everyone of these seemingly frail constructs were stronger than a grown man, and against a normal warrior the difference in numbers would have been absolute.

But, Saber was not your average swordsman.

"Servant Saber, here upon the orders of my master," Saber proclaimed to those in the courtyard and anyone who might be listening from nearby. "Show yourself mage, or -."

Saber moved, slashing at a pair of skeletal warriors that had come to close. Her prana burst ability flexed itself as her sword connected, and bones that could withstand shocks that could break steel shattered like eggshells.

"- Must I come and get you myself?" Saber finished as the broken pieces of the skeletons rained down around her.

There was no response that could be heard, but the sudden rush of bodies was answer enough. As the enemies moved in, Saber plunged into a dance of destruction. Bones and weapons flew through the air where she passed, none of the skeletons able to withstand the full power of the King of Knights.

Saber had just swept away another bunch of her foes when she felt a wave of magical energy spread through the ranks of her inhuman foes. The effects were instantly noticeable, with the skeletons moving faster and hitting stronger than before. Still, it was within tolerable limits. Even reinforced as they all seemed to be, they were still no match for someone who during her life had been compared to a dragon, the mightiest of phantasmal beasts.

Another pack of skeletons were returned to the dust, and Saber was about to turn to meet an attack when her senses suddenly warned of a dangerous attack. Instantly, she dived to the ground, taking a glancing hit on her shoulder that sent a jolt of pain down her arm. Overall though Saber thought she had come out ahead, as in return for taking that insignificant hit, she had dodged the iron stake that had been thrown at her with monstrous strength.

"Rider," Saber said her assailant's name as she rose up and clove another skeleton in two. "Since when did the Rider class abandon their dignity to take the role of the Assassin class?"

Rider didn't rise to the insult, and faded back into the background to prepare for another attack. Rider's attacks were not in themselves very dangerous to Saber, who had fought against opponents who were stronger and faster. Mixed amidst the attacks from the skeleton horde however, the ambushes from Saber's blind spots presented a significant threat even to her.

"To think that the Rider class would fall so low," Saber muttered as she compared her furtive opponent with the Rider from the fourth war. Just the thought was an insult to the giant among men that Iskander had been.

The odds were definitely against Saber now, but the staunch servant fought on tirelessly, trusting in her strength to turn the situation around. Had she been alone she might have decided differently, but Saber had a point of pride to keep before Lily who by now would be engaged with her own opponent. There was also the possibility that Lily might finish Assassin and come to help her. In any case, retreat was not an option here, and Saber plunged forward into the ranks of the skeletal warriors. Her sword moved constantly to sweep the area in front of her clear of enemies, and the swath she cut into the horde was enough for her to get some room to breathe and take stock of the overall picture.

Things were... Not so good.

She had underestimated how annoying the skeletons could be. The slight oddity she had felt as she fought them was explained as she saw that those skeletons she had broken had reformed themselves. Shattered bones fused themselves together as she watched, and repaired limbs flew back into position from where they lay scattered across the ground. Saber could also sense Rider moving around amongst the crowd, waiting for an opportunity to strike while her back was turned.

"Whew," Saber let out a heavy breath as the horde closed in upon her again. It looked like she had her work cut out for her if she was to remain here until the mage showed themselves.

-x-x-x-

While Saber played out a scene from a heroic epic, Lily was busily engaged in combat against what was probably one of the best sword wielders she had ever encountered. For her it was almost an unreal experience. The difference in their strength, the force imparted by the prana that was wrapped around her sword, it all should have meant that Assassin fell within the first few blows. In spite of that prediction, Assassin was completely fine. A soft tap against the side of the blade, a glancing hit on the underside of her swing. Overwhelming power turned away with almost inhuman skill. Saber's attacks expended themselves uselessly on the empty air or blameless ground.

Assassin was smiling as she swung her sword, completely relaxed and carefree. In contrast Lily was feeling the pressure as Assassin's sword continued to slip past her own. Both her instincts and body were working overtime as she dodged those strikes, each and everyone a critical blow should they connect.

Power wasn't the problem here. Assassin's sword had none of the superhuman strength that was normally expected of a servant. A trained human's level of strength, nothing more, nothing less. What was troublesome was how that power was used. Although Lily boasted an agility rank of A, Assassin still managed to exceed her speed at times, and used that slight edge to her advantage to strike at Lily between clashes. Unlike Hercules's brutal hammer blows, all of Assassin's attacks were aimed precisely at areas that would kill or maim.

This feels like I'm fighting Lancelot and Gawain at the same time, Lily thought to herself as she swept away another flickering jab.

After one last swipe to drive Assassin back, Lily retreated a little to catch her breath. Assassin chose not to pursue, and looked upon the fair knight with a happy expression.

"My swordplay is a little vicious isn't it?" Assassin asked cheerfully. "I'm so pleased that you are still alive. Monohoshizao would have taken most people's heads off by now."

Lily shivered a little as Assassin tenderly caressed her long sword. She liked Caliburn, but not with the kind of affection that Assassin seemed to hold towards her blade.

Assassin noted her reaction, and laughed softly as she raised her sword again. "I'm sorry, I am little strange aren't I? Most people don't understand why I am so attached to my beauty here... Though the young lady there looks like she might. How odd."

There was a note of surprise in Assassin's voice as she looked at something behind Lily. Realising that the only thing behind her was Kirika, Lily risked a glance back to see what Assassin was talking about. Even such a brief distraction was a luxury against an opponent of Assassin's caliber, but she trusted in the proud swordswoman to stay her hand.

What Lily saw was her master standing there, looking towards them with a captivated light in her eyes. Wait, that wasn't correct. Kirika was looking at Assassin like that, and nothing else. Somewhat annoyed that her master seemed infatuated with another servant, Lily cleared her throat and tapped her foot.

"Huh?" Kirika woke up, blinked, and saw Lily as she stood there.

Realising what she had been doing, Kirika blushed and looked away. What had she been thinking looking at Assassin like that? Okay, so she had seen what was possibly the ultimate level of swordsmanship that her own school of Tai Chi Chuan strove for. Big deal... Actually, it was a big deal. Neutralising strength with softness, turning the opponent's speed and power against them. The duel had done more for her own understanding of the way she should wield her twin dao than the last year of weekly training sessions under her master. However, the beautiful woman was their enemy, a foe to be overcome. Unable to interfere in the duel, she should have been showing support for Lily, not standing there engrossed in Assassin's swordwork.

_Assimilating combat style (Possibility Line 95-UG#) - Ganryu (false). Recreation at 5 percent. Consolidating fragmented data from possibility lines 95-UAA to 95-*#$. Possibility refraction - Impossible: Lack of data._

Bowing her head and putting her hands together in supplication, Kirika silently apologised to Lily. Not quite satisfied, but knowing that this wasn't the time, Lily pouted and turned back towards Assassin.

"Ready to go again Lily-san?" Assassin asked.

Lily nodded, and raised Caliburn once more. "This time things will be slightly different."

"Ara?" Assassin's eyes widened as Caliburn began to glow with a golden light. "That looks dangerous."

With uncharacteristic gravity, Lily took position in preparation for a cleaving blow.

"This sword is the symbol of my kingdom," she intoned as she stared Assassin down. "Wielding it, victory is the only acceptable outcome."

"Then come at me Lily-san," Assassin said fervently "Prove that your sword is invincible, as so many have failed to do so in front of me."

"With pleasure!" Lily shouted as she darted forward.

As the holy sword of Briton, Caliburn was among the greatest of weapons to be found in European mythology and history. It was not a perfect weapon such as Excalibur was meant to be. Taken as a symbol of the king's authority, its role as a royal ornament had reduced its conceptual presence as a weapon. Caliburn also lacked the ability to annihilate armies with a single swing as other powerful swords could. Yet, when wielded by someone such as Lily who could afford to pour prana into the blade, its power to 'enforce victory' made it nearly unstoppable. It was this that Lily trusted in as she launched a searing series of blows towards Assassin. Her opponent's sword was a masterful piece of craftsmanship, but only that. A conceptual weapon could only be stopped by a mystery of the same rank or greater. Should Assassin attempt to block her attacks like she had before, Caliburn would cleave the long blade of Monohoshizao, leaving the servant defenceless before the finishing blow.

Lily was certain of victory as Caliburn swept in on a course to bisect Assassin. Thus it was only natural for her to be surprised when Assassin... Disappeared.

"What-?"

Off balance due to the lack of resistance to her attack, Lily's instincts screamed at her to take advantage of this temporary disadvantage to dive to the floor. Trusting in senses built up on the battlefield, Lily did just that, and saved her life as Assassin's sword carved a silver trail onto the dark night air.

Lily had escaped death, but her adverse position left her vulnerable. A quick roll to the side was required to evade a clawing slice towards her neck, and then she quickly raised Caliburn to fend off an incoming thrust towards her shoulder.

"Tch," Assassin clicked her tongue as she pulled back her sword, only to whip it out again, this time with the aim of cutting Lily's leg.

Lily somehow blocked the lightning quick strike, and scrambled back to her feet. In the short expanse of time between gathering her body and getting back up, Assassin launched three more attacks at her, all of which Lily dodged or blocked by the narrowest of margins.

Back on two legs, Lily regained some of her composure along with her footing. Blocking two more attacks of Assassin's long blade, she rewoke Caliburn's powers again, forcing the opposing servant to withdraw from the offensive.

Breathing hard, Lily kept close watch upon Assassin as she shuffled sideways to get between her opponent and Kirika again. She didn't understand what had happened just now. Caliburn had been about to connect when Assassin just vanished from her sight. It was a feat that could not be attributed to the presence concealment skill of the Assassin class. That skill was one that allowed the user to hide their presence, beyond detection at the highest levels. It was not however a means of escaping an attack. The position from which Assassin had reappeared was also incomprehensible. Lily's first warning that Assassin had counter-attacked had been a blow from behind her. Though she was not clairvoyant, her senses were still far beyond those of a normal human. She could not believe that anyone could escape those very same senses to move behind her, especially someone who possessed only the physical abilities of your everyday human.

A chill ran down Lily's spine as she thought about how close she had come to dying. Her feelings about Assassin hadn't been incorrect. This was indeed one of the most fearsome opponents she had ever faced.

"What was that just now Assassin?" Lily inquired as she calmed herself. "Was that your noble phantasm? Or was it your skill as an Assassin of the grail war?"

Covering her mouth with her sleeve, Assassin's eyes nevertheless revealed her amusement over Lily's question.

"Oh come now Lily-san. Do I look like the sort of woman who has an association with the magical arts," Assassin berated her lightly.

"Than how do you explain what you just did Assassin? Those were not human movements," Lily hit back.

Assassin laughed again, amused by Lily's choice of phrase.

"I wonder, have you ever walked through a forest on a moonlit night?" Assassin then asked as she quietened down.

Lily had no idea what that had to do with anything, but nodded. Night-time treks had been commonplace while she was on campaign, and on many nights the moon had graced the land with its presence.

"In that case, have you ever seen the way that the moonlight hits the earth? The way that the silver shadows dance about as the trees sway before the wind?" Assassin smiled and pointed at the ground next to Lily's feet. "Just as it is doing now."

Lily looked down, and saw the fragmented light of the moon upon the stone. The bright moon's rays were filtered by the foliage above, and were dancing as Assassin had described while the breeze ruffled the leaves. Spots of light appeared and disappeared as the treetops swayed, the position of the overgrowth determining whether or not a particular bit would enjoy the moon's light.

"I see, but I don't understand Assassin," Lily said after a moment. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything," Assassin replied. "You see, I was crossing a mountain one night when I saw such as display under the full moon. I was so charmed by the sight that I wanted to recreate it whenever I wished. Unfortunately, that proved more than a little difficult. Man is but a tiny part of nature, so how does one recreate the greater existence with only the smaller?"

Holding her sword up to the moon, Assassin admired the silver light as it shone off the tempered steel.

"An impossible goal, but shouldn't all dreams be such?" Assassin asked rhetorically. "The gods must have had a twisted sense of humour though. Because what should have been impossible..." She lowered the sword and smiled softly before she disappeared again.

"- Became possible," Lily heard Assassin whisper from just behind her.

Warned by her instincts only a fraction of a second beforehand, Lily was still turning when Assassin vanished yet again. She flickered like a phantom as she moved from one point to another, ignoring the intervening distance as if it were meaningless.

Like a ray of the moon's light, dancing over the stones.

"Gekkokage Shunpo," Assassin said quietly. "Not a very original name, but I never was very good at naming things."

Lily swallowed an angry retort as Assassin complained blithely about her lack of imagination when it came to names. What did a name matter, when the skill itself had reached the level of magic?

Observing from the sidelines, Kirika was just as shocked by Assassin's display as Lily was, if not more. She was a mage, not a very good one, but a mage nonetheless. Having been trained by Rin, she knew what the difference between True Magic and common sorcery was, and was confident that she could recognise it if she saw it. What she before her now, was a level of mystery just below that of the Five.

Warning, logic failure. Time-space phenomena perception destabilised. Read-error. Processing impossible. Illogic matrix initiated. Compiling. Pure recreation deemed impossible. Considering alternative possibilities.

Though teleportation was a phenomenon that science was quickly making its own, it was as yet a feat deemed impossible through sorcery. To achieve it in the physical world required the use of one of the True Magics, or a mystery that verged upon that high precipice. That was why Kirika was so confused now.

Because in Assassin's movements, she hadn't sensed any use of the paranormal at all.

"Why did you not use this before Assassin?" Lily asked through suddenly dry lips. "Had you pressed me with that kind of movements at the start I doubt that I could have stood against you for long."

Assassin scrunched her pretty brow. "I couldn't do that Lily-san. Even I know that gekkokage shunpo goes beyond the comprehension of those who see it for the first time. My pride is as a swordswoman, and it is only by the sword that I can claim victory. Anything else would only dirty the blade that I hold in my hands."

In the back of her mind, Lily praised every god that she had ever heard of for Assassin's unwavering pride. She too was proud of her skill with the sword, but she couldn't imagine herself being able to withstand Assassin's full range of abilities with Caliburn alone. She would need to unveil her second noble phantasm at the very least if she was to survive against such an opponent, and that was not something she could do lightly.

"Hmmm, what's wrong Lily-san?" Assassin asked when she observed that Lily seemed to be agonising over something. "If you are thinking about showing some of your hidden cards I suggest you do so. Now that I've shown you Gekkokage I don't need to restrain myself. You can't think to face me as you are, do you?"

"..." Lily had no immediate answer for her.

Assassin frowned. "Am I so light an opponent for you Lily-san, that you will not use your full power against me? If that is the case, very well." The sedate beauty vanished, to be replaced by cold death in the form of a woman. "My last technique. If this cannot change your mind. I don't believe anything will."

The killing intent in the air was sharp enough to cut as Assassin drew back her long sword. It was a strange stance that she took up, with Monohoshizao held level with Assassin's frosty blue eyes with the point towards the side of the path. There were a thousand open holes in her defence to Lily's eyes, but the servant of the sword could take none of them. Gekkokage Shunpo's inhuman speed sealed all avenues of attack, and something told Lily that this was not the only danger lying in wait for her if she were to charge in now.

She had no choice but to sharpen her senses and wait for Assassin to attack. Having seen Gekkokage, she harboured no doubts as to the lethality of this final technique that Assassin was so proud of, but still she waited. Against all her ingrained habits, she waited. Trusting in the instincts that had saved her life so many times to do the same for her once more.

Kirika's palms were sweating and her legs were unsteady as she watched. The killing intent that rose off Assassin was almost suffocating even from this distance, and Lily's determination was the only thing that kept her rooted to the spot. Having made up her mind to come out the victor in this grail war, she could not look away when her servant was about to gamble her life.

"Hiken," Assassin murmured as her killing intent settled over the stage like a thick fog. "Tsubame Gaeshi!"

At the moment that Assassin finished saying the name of the attack, Lily felt for the first time the chilly despair that came of certain death. Her senses took in the three strikes of the sword that had overcome the limits of possibility through sheer effort, and could find no way to escape. Up, down, left and right. All lines had been accounted for by the setting of the three ghostly blades, and their matched speeds cut off a retreat which was the only way that one could survive this attack.

She had lost. Raising Caliburn for what was possibly the last time, Lily prepared to spend her life in a manner that would at least give Kirika a chance to escape.

_#JFsd83hw9 x d*SY#ko-29ry = ER8wh;2r!LIP? Cross-referencing matches. Conciliating data to profile phenomena. ID - Multi-dimensional Refraction Phenomenon. Attempting assimilation - Failure. Reason: 횩 짠 쨩#!incomplete i NǯG S$CR* ? )‑R m'" X,v ǩ}z fwW . Attempting conciliation with base framework. Failure. Reason: Paradigm link unstable at 11 percent. Existential instability too great to reconcile new aspects with original possibility lines. Expanding link. Accelerating personal reality consolidation to compensate._

_Second Shard - recognised. Preparing groundwork for activation._

Time seemed to go past at a snail's pace for Kirika as she saw Assassin launch her attack. She had barely registered a movement when her sense of reality was shattered for the second time in just a few minutes. Three attacks, each coming from a different angle, all originating from the same point at the same time. An impossibility under the rules of the world.

How she knew this, Kirika didn't know. By all rights her eyes shouldn't have been able to keep up with Assassin's movements at all. Somehow though, it was as if she was suddenly seeing a few seconds into the future, understanding in theory how the attack could work and projecting the end result onto her field of vision. A picture filled only with the death of Lily.

Three strikes, of which Lily might dodge two. Yet the third cut off any avenue of escape, and would claim for itself the soft flesh of Lily's neck. As events raced towards this inevitable conclusion Kirika's mind became filled with a desperate need to save her knight.

"Lily!" Kirika shouted even before Assassin's sword had left its starting point. "Back!"

Kirika's short order combined with her strong emotions made the command seal upon her breast flare into life. Just as Assassin's long sword connected with its target, Lily's body shimmered into nothingness, and reappeared beside Kirika.

"Ugh," Lily stifled a groan as she fell to her knees. Her hand was at her throat, pressed against a wound from which blood ran freely.

"Lily!" Kirika cried out, alarmed. Then, remembering what the priority was, Kirika blasted open the connection between them with her prana. She didn't know any effective healing spells, so all she could do was pour her power into the servant and hope that Lily's natural healing would exert itself.

While Kirika hovered over Lily, Assassin stood where she was, silent. She was looking at her sword as if it had betrayed her, a dumbfounded expression on her face.

"I... Missed?" she stammered. "That can't be right."

Turning her attention to Lily, Assassin noted the blood. It flowed slower now, but Lily was still pale and unsteady. Only then did Assassin smile and relax her stance.

"I do not know if it was luck or skill that saved you Lily-san," Assassin said to them. "But I believe you have your master to thank for your life."

Unable to speak just yet, Lily nodded. If Kirika hadn't used the command seal when she had, Assassin's blade would have taken her head even as the other two strokes severed her limbs. It left the question of just how Kirika was able to predict such an event and use the command seal, but Lily was not about to question good fortune, and ignored that non-important issue as she focused on repairing her body.

Where things might have gone from there, nobody knew, and nobody would ever know either. Assassin had just opened her mouth again when a massive blast of air swept the mountain. Kirika and Lily caught the wind by their faces, and when they had cleared their eyes Assassin was already looking back towards the temple grounds.

"Annihilated? In one strike?" Assassin muttered incomprehensibly. "Ridiculous. That is not something that one human should be able to do. Yes master, I'll be right there."

She looked back towards them, a regrettable look on her face.

"I'm sorry to end it like this Lily, but I must answer my master's call," Assassin said quickly as she bowed towards them. "If I may, I would suggest that your master call back Saber. You don't look like you could fight properly right now, and I would not like to be ordered to target your master while you are vulnerable. Anyway, goodbye. I hope to clash swords with you again."

Another quick bow, and then Assassin flickered out of view with the phantom-like movement characteristic of the Gekkokage Shunpo. The departure of their deadly foe made the two let out a breath neither had realised they had held, and Kirika found herself tired to the bone as if she too had been engaged in life or death battle.

Another huge explosion rattled the mountain top, and Kirika remembered what Assassin had told them about Saber. Realising the danger that her other servant would be in should, no when Assassin joined in the battle on the other side of the gates, Kirika audaciously used her second command seal without hesitation.

"Saber, come back to me!" she ordered through the seal.

In response to her call the space before her rippled for an instant, and then spat out the knight whose armour was in much worse condition than it had been when she had headed inside.

Saber looked disoriented for a second before she saw Kirika and realised what had happened.

"Master, are you alright?" she said, worried as to why the seal had been used. She then saw Lily and got an alarmed look on her face. "Lily? Did Assassin do this to you?"

Lily nodded. "We should retreat," she gasped out. "Too dangerous. Shouldn't reveal so many phantasms yet."

Saber looked down at the shining sword in her hands. A bit late for that.

"You are right," she still said as she considered the foes she had faced. "Master, I'll carry you. Lily, can you move?"

Lily nodded and got to her feet. Saber confirmed that Lily could stand then moved to take Kirika in her arms. Kirika blushed at the position she was about to be put in, but realised that this was not a time to make a fuss. Allowing herself to be taken up, they were just about to move out when a derisive voice interrupted them.

"Leaving so soon dears?" a robed figure asked them from the sky. "That won't do. You should stay a while. I insist."

"Caster," Saber ground out the name. Alone she could have taken care of the troublesome servant, but with Kirika here their position was too disadvantageous.

"Run!" she told Lily as she took her own words to heart.

"Not so fast!" shouted Caster, raising her staff high. "Rider, Assassin, hold them in place! Ἄ請釗!"

Lily groaned while Kirika screamed as gravity turned against them. Saber herself was unaffected, but had to stop to dispel the spell with a burst of prana in order to safeguard her master. In that time, Rider and Assassin had obeyed Caster's order and had taken up positions to bar their path.

"Damn it," Lily cursed as she took in their situation. Caster above them, and two more servants below them, one of them the deadliest person she had ever met. Realising that there was no other choice, she made a snap decision to reveal her second noble phantasm.

"Saber, keep running, and don't stop," she said quickly. "Clarent!"

"What-?" Saber began to ask before she was cut off by a burst of blinding light from Lily's sword.

"Just run!" Lily shouted as she leapt forward towards Rider and Assassin.

Not sure what was going on, but willing to trust that Lily knew what she was doing, Saber followed her with Kirika slung over one shoulder like a princess being kidnapped by a viking raider.

"Ὑ釣濬蛤!"

Caster pointed her staff at the fleeing servants, and an tear opened in the skies above the mountain. From it descended a blinding column of light, but to Caster's surprise the ritual level spell splattered uselessly against the flaring silver aura that had surrounded the space around Lily.

Lily's charge ignored such distractions, and the white clad servant smashed into Rider like a knight on a charger. A sound like a hammer hitting a cow's flanks was heard as Rider was thrown back, much further than seemed reasonable for such a clash. Assassin attempted to fill the gap, but was unable to approach as Lily directed a wave of silver fire towards her. The way cleared, Lily stood in place until Saber had passed, and then swept her sword around up and up towards the sky. Silver flames followed the direction of her blade, and devastated the trees around the stairway. Rider and Assassin were busy keeping themselves alive, and had no thought to spare for others as the flames rose towards the the sky.

"ἀ債捿!" Caster screamed out a defensive spell as the unexpected attack consumed the air around her. The shield that was summoned stood in place for a few heartbeats, but was soon broken by the force of the flames. However, this was enough time for Caster to have teleported away, and the leftover flames wasted themselves on empty air.

When the three servants on the defensive team regathered themselves, Lily and Saber were long gone. Pursuit was considered, but soon abandoned due to the limitations upon Assassin, and the three soon retreated themselves to their respective bases of operation.

A titanic battle between five servants with no clear winner or loser. They left behind a wrecked temple courtyard, a devastated swath of the staircase the led up to the temple, and a number of challenges that needed to be answered. Whether this would happen sooner or later was up for the fickle fates to decide.

**3-5**

The Origin.

The first concept, the final answer. From it all things came, and within it could be found power beyond the realms permitted to mortal man.

It was in order to reach this impossible goal that the three households of Einzbern, Makiri and Tohsaka came together in Fuyuki. The body, the spirits, and the power of the land. Together the contributions of the three families formed a magical trinity that could, however briefly, open the gates to the Origin for even the most humblest among them. As with any attempt to reach that most holiest of places however, fate intervened in order to destroy that which had been wrought.

Perhaps it was the counterforce, that power which worked against anyone who sought that which was forbidden. More likely however, it was simple human greed that shattered the path that had been built. With the revelation that there existed power enough for only one attempt to reach forth into the Origin, the alliance of the three houses stood little chance of holding together. Each house had their own idea of how the Grail should be used, and with dreams hundreds of years old on the line, none of them were about to back down. In the conflict that ensued the chance was lost, and as each of the houses blamed each other for the failure, the seeds were sown for a struggle that would continue across the centuries.

Of those who had overseen the initial ceremony however, few survived. As long lived as mages could be, the passing of three centuries was more than any human could withstand. The few who still walked among the living could no longer be called 'men', and among them it was Matou Zouken who had given up the most as he jealously clung to his life and his goals.

Three hundred and some years he had devoted to chasing the grail. Three hundred years during which he had clawed together all the cards that he could in order to prepare his chosen sacrifices for the Grail Wars. Three hundred years of failure as time after time the Matou mages failed to subdue their opponents. Three hundred years spent watching as his family slowly fell from their once lofty position to become little better than a passer-by on the street. Throughout this time he had done some terrible things, but regretted nothing. Everything for the Grail, all for the dream that he had once shared with two others.

Three hundred years of endless effort. The results of which were now burning down in front of his very eyes.

"Do you have any idea what you have done, child of the Tohsakas?" Zouken asked of the arsonist with barely restrained anger evident in his voice. Behind him, the Victorian style Matou mansion burned as red flames licked at the left side of the house.

"After seeing what you were doing in there?" Rin glared back at the ancient monster of the Matous with defiant eyes. "Enough to know that I can't let it stand."

"Foolish girl," Zouken snarled, his withered face contorted with emotion. "What business do you have judging the path that another family has taken?"

"What business?" Rin frowned. "I am the second owner of Fuyuki, Matou. It is my right to judge what those who live here do."

"And just what is it that I have done that angered you so, girl? I have broken no laws of the Association, nor have I revealed any secrets to the world. So, I ask again. What right do you have to judge me, you insolent child!"

Rin clenched her fists as Zouken roared at her with a surprisingly deep voice for his shrivelled frame.

"By right of blood, Matou. I saw what was down there, and there is only one possible use for such things," Rin's nails dug into her palms as she tightened her fists with rage. "Do you truly claim to be innocent after submitting Sakura to such -."

Rin's angry remonstrations were cut off as Zouken suddenly began to choke with laughter. The old man's body shook as the laugh grew steadily louder, until finally he was supporting himself with his walking stick so that he would not fall over.

"_That_ was what angered you? Such an insignificant detail?" Zouken shook his head, and then roared at Rin. "Such idiocy! Such naivete! You call yourself a mage? Not every path to magic is as neat and tidy as yours, child! Right of blood? Such rights were broken when your father gave the girl over to me! Yet, you still seek to judge what I do to her? You do not have the _right_!"

Wearing a visage twisted by anger, the Matou patriarch thumped the floor with his walking stick, revealing its double purpose as an artifact as black energies began to spread outwards from it.

"As you have judged, be judged, insolent child of the Tohsakas." Zouken growled as the black light began to gather into clumps of of twisted flames that hung about the bugs that always accompanied him.

"I had no intention of letting you go anyhow," Rin replied coldly as her crest began to glow with cerulean light. "Archer, kill him. We are going to be taking Sakura as soon as we find her and there's no time to waste with a senile monster like him."

"With pleasure, Rin," Archer answered as the servant appeared behind her, bow already drawn.

"Be gone!" Zouken shouted as he shot the bugs at the pair.

The Matou mage's age was not for show, as was evident from the spells that he commanded. Imbued with foul energies drawn from the mansion grounds, each of the bugs was equivalent to a C rank spell in terms of destructive power and effect. Had Rin been alone, she would have had to use one of her best gems in order to block the thirty nine bugs that were coming at her, or be ripped apart as the bugs blew up and spread their curse.

Zouken's failure however was the presence Archer by Rin's side. An eirei was a conceptualisation of mysticism far beyond that which most mages could command, and before such beings a spell such as the one Zouken had used as almost as useless as a kitchen knife would have been.

One shot, loosed before Zouken had even finished speaking. The prana charged arrow blew through three of the bugs before it split Zouken's head into a hundred pieces. Those bugs that had been destroyed exploded in the arrow's wake, setting off eleven of the remaining bugs as they flew.

A second shot, released a split second after the first. Five of the bugs were caught in its path as it headed towards the house. Zouken not the target this time as the detonations scattered the paths of another seven bugs.

A third shot. This time the arrow shredded Zouken's right shoulder and arm into mince as it punched through two of the cursed bugs. Another three bugs were caught in the secondary explosions and lost their way.

A fourth shot, with a final fifth shot released almost at the same time. The remaining eight bugs were picked out of the air before they got anywhere near Rin, and Zouken's upper torso was blown apart as the last arrow exploded upon impact.

Five arrows. All it took to negate an attack that drew on power charged over three hundred years. The most damage that Rin took in the exchange was a blast of air that made her close her eyes for an instant.

As Archer lowered his bow, Zouken's remains fell back onto the ground. Rin spent a moment coldly looking at the lump of dead meat before she sniffed and turned towards Archer.

"Good work, Archer," Rin told him in what was possibly the first time she had really complimented him since he was first summoned.

"Of course, Rin," Archer replied with a smile, only for the expression to falter as Rin continued.

"It's good to confirm that you really are an Archer after all. I was a bit worried after you started dancing around with your swords," Rin said in a cheeky tone.

"... Dancing?" Archer muttered as if shocked.

Ignoring Archer's fixed expression, Rin took a look around the devastated Matou estate. On the lawn, shattered garden ornaments and craters marked the centres of what had been a formidable ward system, destroyed by Rin and Archer as they forcibly gained entry. Further in, the once imposing mansion was a wrecked shell of its former self. What wasn't broken was fast becoming blackened as the flames spread across the building. It was possible that there were items in there that belonged to Sakura, but Rin had no misgivings in letting them burn. Better to destroy all trace of what was here, so as to allow Sakura to make a clean start to life under her care.

"No one's here, right Archer?" Rin asked of her servant to confirm what she knew.

"No, there isn't," Archer responded stonily, still miffed by Rin's opinion of his skills.

Rin nodded to herself. "Okay then. Let's go. I can find Sakura at school tomorrow and the anti-perception wards are going to fail before too long."

Agreeing, Archer fell into step with his master as the two left the grounds. Before leaving however he looked back once more at the spot where Zouken lay.

Nothing, just lumps of meat where once the old mage had been. It was strange though. He remembered little of the Grail War, but something in the back of his head was telling him that there was something about the Matou patriarch. What that was however, he had no idea.

-x-x-x-

An hour or so after the two left. The anti-perception wards that surrounded the mansion had yet to fail, and though a pillar of smoke was rising into the night sky, no one had as yet come to find out what was going on. This reprieve from the world's attentions however could not last, and from the sounds of sirens drawing nearer in the distance, it was clear that someone had spotted the telltales signs of a fire and had called the fire department.

It was then that the remains of what had once been Matou Zouken began to move. Bulging and rippling in a grotesque fashion, the still intact lower body began to draw numerous insects to itself. The chitinous mass covered the bloody lumps, and immediately began to gain a shape. As the seconds passed, the features of the mass of insectile flesh started to become defined, and the gaunt visage of Matou Zouken once more became visible to the world.

"Kuh... Gyah... Hah... Hah... I am getting far too old for this," Zouken groaned as he began to painfully raise himself up.

"Then perhaps it's time you find your eternal rest, grandfather," a cheerful voice suddenly told him.

Zouken frowned, and then relaxed slightly as he saw that it was Sakura. Then he realised what she had just said, and frowned in annoyance once more.

"I see that it has been too long since you were disciplined, girl," Zouken told her in a voice that promised pain in the near future. "Now, come over here. I need your help if I am to completely restore myself."

Stepping out into the ruddy light provided by the flickering flames that still clung to the burnt wreck that had once been the mansion, Sakura smiled coldly.

"Get your own help, old man," she told the figure who had until recently invoked terror in her with just a change of tone. "It's long past the time when you should have gone to your grave."

Noticing that something unusual was going on, Zouken stopped and looked closely at Sakura. Now that he looked, he could see that Sakura was very different from the subdued girl that he had ordered about just this morning. Dressed in a tight fitting plain black and red dress, the girl had an air of confidence about her that he had never seen before. Though she wore a smile on her lips, her green eyes were cold as they gazed upon him, and Zouken was displeased as he realised that the emotion he read in them was one of contempt.

"You forget your place, Sakura," Zouken warned her as he got to his feet by himself. His footing was unsteady however, and it took all his efforts not to fall over again.

"What place is that, grandfather?" Sakura asked calmly. "Crying in pain as the bugs eat away at my circuits? Whimpering at your feet after Shinji is done with me? Pray, tell me."

Something was very wrong about the situation, and Zouken did not like it one bit. Though he did not find the idea of using what little of his prana remained in such a fashion, Zouken realised that he was going to have to teach Sakura a lesson if he was going to suppress this rebelliousness that she had suddenly exhibited in the face of his temporary weakness.

Zouken sent a silent command to the insects in Sakura's body. He then waited for Sakura to fall to the ground in agony, the insects driving her crazy with pain and lust as they ravaged her body and soul. As the seconds ticked by however, nothing happened, and Zouken realised with shock that Sakura had somehow cut him off from the insects in her body.

"Wha-what? How?"

"Surprised, grandfather?" Sakura said with a giggle. "I bet you were not as surprised as I was though. How sneaky of you, hiding yourself away like that? I mean, who would have expected that the core of your true being would be hiding in my heart?"

The Matou patriarch's eyes grew wide as he took in the meaning of Sakura's words. They would gotten wider if that was at all possible when Sakura took something out of her pocket. A crystal ball, within which was suspended a mass of red flesh that moved to a soft steady rhythm. A human heart to be precise.

"Who... How?" Zouken was so shocked that he could not speak coherently.

"Huhuhu, let's just say that a new friend of mine is very good when it comes to surgery grandpa," Sakura told him gleefully. "So, I don't need to be afraid you anymore."

"Sakura, give me that thing," the old wraith of the Matou's told the girl as he recovered his senses.

Sakura blinked. "This? Why should I?"

"You have no idea what you are doing! Stop fooling around and give me that!" Zouken told her forcefully, habits ingrained over the last decade spurring him on.

Sakura's eyes grew colder. "Find then, grandpa. If you want it so badly, you can have it."

Saying that, she tossed the ball to Zouken. The old man jumped with surprise and scrambled to catch the crystal ball, and in his haste fell to the ground.

"A much better look for you," the adopted daughter of the Matou's told him. "A fitting position for an overgrown insect."

Zouken ignored her as he made sure that the ball was intact. Now that he had it in his hands, he could feel himself inside the ball, and was struck by the intricacy of the item that had somehow fooled him into believing he was still inside Sakura.

"What are you thinking, girl?" Zouken finally asked as he calmed down a bit. "You can't possibly be thinking to continue on as before after going this far."

Sakura nodded. "Of course not. I simply came here to tie up a loose end. It's fortunate though that Tohsaka-san came here first."

"What?"

Sakura smiled, her eyes again still cold. "It means that I don't have to spend as my effort to kill you, grandpa."

Realising Sakura's intentions, Zouken instantly raised his hands in order to call forth the remainder of his insects so as to attack Sakura. It was a pitiful effort compared to his earlier attack on the Tohsaka child, but it would be enough against this girl that he had raised as the vessel of the Matou family's future ambitions.

Or at least, it should have been enough.

"Break," Sakura said softly as she stared at the crystal ball in Zouken's hands.

As soon as she said the word, the ball shattered, exposing the contents to the air. Unbeknownst to Zouken, the liquid inside was not blood. Instead an alchemical compound dissolved in water was what had filled the crystal ball. When exposed to the air, the mixture instantly caught fire, covering the immediate surroundings with flames that burned hotter than any forge on the planet.

"Gyyyaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Zouken screamed in pain and outrage as his true self burned, and with it his body and ambitions. "I caaaaan't die like this! Cursssse yoooou Sakuraaaaa!"

"Goodbye grandpa," Sakura said with a faint smile on her face. "I won't miss you."

She bowed slightly to the mage who had made her life a living hell for the last ten years, and ignored his screams and curses as she then walked away from her former life. The method of her severance with a portion of her life was much different than what Rin had imagined, but it was just as final. There was nothing more to restrain Sakura from doing as she wished, except such bounds as she chose to set herself.

What those bounds were, only she could know.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: You know the drill.**

**I Tried to address some of the points made that I wasn't doing an adequate job describing my characters. Hopefully it reads a little better now.**

**4-1**

Though it was early dawn, Kotomine Kirei was already wide awake and at work at his desk. Staring down at a stack of folders with a phone in one hand and a pen in the other, he looked more like a overworked salaryman at the moment than he did a priest.

"What do you mean it's already taken care of, Kirei?" asked the person he was talking to, the voice clearly audible over the phone's speakers.

"It's just as I said, Rin. As the Church mediator of this Grail War surely you did not expect me to wait for the police to begin investigating before I took action?" Kirei said sarcastically as he went over the report of the events last night once more. "After the mess you caused it took some effort to cover up the incident. As it is, there will be no police or youth workers looking into the Matous' case. Or was there something else that you wished to know?"

"... Youth workers?" Rin's sounded hesitant as she probed Kirei's choice of words.

"Matou Sakura and Matou Shinji are not yet legal adults, nor do they have any relatives within Fuyuki. I was forced to obscure some documents to prevent social services from coming in to make them wards of the state."

"Where is she now?" Rin asked.

"The Matou girl? I have found her temporary residence in a hotel," Kirei put away the folder. "Now that the head of the Matou family is dead it remains to be seen what will eventually happen to her. Since Matou Shinji is not a mage, there is a good chance that she could become the head of the family herself."

"..."

"Are you still there, Rin?" Kirei asked when the pause became stretched out.

"... I will talk to you again, Kirei," Rin replied as she abruptly ended the call.

Left with only a dead dial tone filling his ear, Kirei put down the receiver and leaned back into his chair. He was pretty much finished with the cleanup, and he could afford to spend a moment or two savouring the slight hints of confusion and guilt he had picked up in Rin's voice. Not too surprising really. From what he could make out of the situation, Rin had only now found out what the Matou path to magic had demanded of the girl who had been her sister. Just what that was he didn't know either, but he could make a guess from what he had seen as he carried out the operation on the girl last night.

"An unexpected present, that," Kirei mused as he remembered what he had seen. "I must remember to thank that old monster when I bury him."

Truly, a magnificent present, and one that changed his plans considerably. He could never have imagined when he met the girl a week ago now that she held within herself pieces of that most beautiful of chalices. The same one with which he had been baptised ten years ago. By its very nature it opened the door to a vast array of possibilities, which when considered together with the opportunities that the girl herself presented, filled him with delicious anticipation.

Ah, it warmed his blackened heart just to think about it. The guilt-ridden older sister, a naive young lass with dreams of being a hero, and the younger sister whose soul had nearly been broken by the experiences she had suffered. How events would proceed as they came together was not something he could foresee, but for now he had to make sure that none of the players retired from this grand game. Though he was familiar with the two girls who could be called his students in a way, he had as yet too shallow an understanding of the Matou girl to begin meddling in their affairs. Time was what he needed now, enough so that he could figure out her motivations and desires, so as to best figure out how to utilise her role in his play.

That script was a tragedy of course, or perhaps an epic. How else could one describe a story that was due to culminate in the birth of absolute evil?

-x-x-x-

Back at the Tohsaka resident Rin was quiet as she began to consider how to approach the situation before her.

After seeing what was in the basement workshop last night, she had been driven by righteous fury as she fought to destroy that which tied Sakura to the Matou name. Kirei's mentioning of the fact that Sakura was a possible candidate to become the next head of the Matou clan had surprised her, as she had never even considered the possibility that Sakura would not give up that cursed name. Now that she thought about things however, she was realising that things were not as straight forward as she might have wished.

Simply going up to Sakura and telling her that she had just burned down all her worldly possessions and her home of the last ten years? Not the best of circumstances under which to tell a long parted family member that you wished to be reunited with them. How else to ask her though? Since they had met in school, she had been thorough in her efforts to keep a distance between herself and Sakura as was the norm between members of two different houses of magi. Recent events were more of a hindrance than a help too. She had interrogated the other girl about the ward, and when provoked she had lost her temper and struck her. It was an act that she had immediately regretted, another block of guilt to add to the already heavy burden on her heart.

"Apologise first? About what? Write her a letter?" Rin rubbed her temples to ease her growing headache as she unconsciously mumbled out loud. "Uuuu... Just how am I going to do this without offending her again?"

"Offend who, Rin?"

"Huh?" startled by the sudden question from behind her, Rin jumped and turned to find Kirika there. From her apprentice's sweaty appearance, she had just finished her morning exercises.

"Is something wrong Rin?" Kirika asked considerately. "I heard you mumbling about apologising to someone."

"I-It's nothing!" Rin replied as she frantically waved her hands in denial. This wasn't a topic that she felt up to discussing with Kirika right now.

Upon seeing Rin's suspicious behaviour however, Kirika's concerns only deepened.

"Rin?"

"Really! It's nothing important!" Realising that her actions were making things worse, Rin quickly grabbed Kirika by her shoulders and pushed her towards the bathroom. "I'll make breakfast today, so go and wash up! Hurry! You stink of sweat!"

"Eh? Really?" Kirika would have stopped to sniff at the air but couldn't as Rin continued to push her. "Hey, I'm going already. Stop pushing me."

"Just hurry up and go, Kirika," Rin told her as she lowered her arms.

Still wary of Rin's strange attitude, but recognising her reluctance to discuss the matter, Kirika decided that it would be best to let Rin think it over by herself for now rather than push. Which didn't mean that she was about to let it lie just like that.

"Hey, Rin?" Kirika said as she stopped at the door. "We will be talking about this later, so figure it out by then, okay?"

"I said it's nothing!" Rin cried out in response, but Kirika had already closed the door on her.

Left to herself again, Rin sighed and headed for the kitchen. No matter how difficult she found this problem it was one that she needed to solve before she headed out today. Hopefully, inspiration would strike as she prepared breakfast for herself and the others... Or so she thought before she remembered that she had seen Archer in the kitchens beforehand.

This was just becoming one of those days.

-x-x-x-

Breakfast consumed, and dishes tidied away by, Rin was left with no excuses to hide as the combined gazes of three servants and one 'normal' human focused upon her.

"Spill it already, Rin," Archer told his master. "Why are you jumpy today? Is it because of last night?"

"No... Maybe," Rin corrected herself as she thought about what she had done. She spoke shyly which was highly unlike her usual self.

"Last night?" Kirika wondered out loud. "Didn't you say that you fought at the Matou estate last night? What did you do that you would need to apologise for?"

Rin and Archer shared a look as they considered Kirika's question. What did they need to apologise for? They could imagine a lot of things. Starting from trespass and grand theft all the way to arson. This was not the problem though, as the real problem that Rin was worried about had... Almost nothing to do with... A lot to do with...

Rin palmed her face. "Archer, remind me again why I thought it would be a good idea to set the whole mansion on fire?"

"Because you thought it a good idea at the time?" Archer replied. "Not that it wasn't. You just went a little too far, that's all."

Kirika's face had frozen when Rin mentioned that she set the place on fire.

"Rin... Just how much damage did you to the mansion?" she asked nervously, dreading the answer she suspected she would hear.

Rin looked away, reluctant to meet Kirika's eyes.

"Rin?"

"The whole place," Archer told Kirika when Rin continued to look away. "The house should be a burnt out wreck by now."

"Heh?" Kirika blinked twice in quick succession, not sure that she wanted to believe what she had just heard. "The whole place?"

"The whole place," Archer confirmed.

Lily spoke up as Kirika froze in place, shocked by the implications.

"Why is this a problem?" she asked Archer. "If the offence that you spoke of was so great as to require you to engage the Matou mage, surely it doesn't matter whether you damage his property or not?"

"Ah, well..." Archer glanced towards his master, who had fallen into a depressed state again.

"If only it were so simple," Rin muttered darkly. "First I argue with her, then I burn her house down. What was I thinking losing my temper like that?"

"Her?" Saber inquired this time. "Are you talking about the mage you fought with?"

"No, another person," Archer corrected her. "The girl in question is the grand-daughter of the mage we killed last night."

"You killed Sakura's grandfather?" Kirika squeaked, so startled by the revelation that she couldn't get her voice out properly.

She was even more surprised however when Rin jumped up and shouted, "He isn't her grandfather!"

"... Huh?"

While Kirika tried to understand what Rin meant by that, Archer was silent as he nodded to himself about something. Lily and Saber on the other hand were lost as they tried to make sense of the conversation from which they seemed to have missed half the points.

The angry protest seemed to have been an unconscious reaction on Rin's part as the young magus realised what she had just done. The thought led to a moment of clarity for Rin as she finally comprehended how she truly felt about the issue that had been troubling her for the last hour or two.

Sitting down again, Rin opened her mouth to explain.

"It's like this Kirika. Sakura is my sister by blood," she said to start things off.

Unfortunately, she had picked a bad point from which to begin explaining, as was evident from the way that Kirika was looking at her doubtfully.

"Is this an early April fool's joke Rin?" Kirika asked hesitantly.

Rin sighed. She really should have expected such a reaction after such a simplified statement.

"No Kirika," she said tiredly. "I'm serious. Matou Sakura was born Tohsaka Sakura. She's my younger sister."

Silence for a moment as Kirika took this in. Then, in a manner that showed that she had picked up at least one bad habit from Fujimura Taiga...

"WHAT?"

... Kirika's shock was such that it took five minutes for Rin and the others to settle her down enough to begin explaining again. As a fortunate side effect however, having to explain the same thing over and over again to Kirika during this time annoyed Rin so much that she completely forgot about being depressed.

**4-2**

It was beautiful day that greeted Sakura as she opened the curtains to her room. The sun was shining, and a few wisps of white cloud were all that obscured the view of the azure sky. Under such conditions, the scenery that was visible from this high up hotel room was a spectacular one, and Sakura stopped to appreciate it.

Located as it was on the outskirts of Shinto, the hotel had a good view of the ocean which was the basis of much of Fuyuki's trade. The cool blue of the sea stretched far out into the horizon, meeting the light azure sky in the distance. It was a refreshing sight. One that reminded a person of just how large the world really was. The thought struck a chord in Sakura's heart, and she was finally able to appreciate the fact that she was free, or rather free as any human could be.

The thought led to another, and Sakura's violet eyes were shadowed as she looked down at her hands. It was hard for her to imagine that she had killed someone last night. She knew intellectually that she had done it, and she was not unprepared to carry the weight of her sins, but it was just difficult to truly understand in her heart that she had killed another being. Perhaps it was because of the nature of the one who had been her victim. Zouken was not someone who could be considered fully human if one had any idea of how he had lived so long. It was also possible that her lack of comprehension came from just how easy it had been. Matou Zouken had been a figure of terror in her life for so long that she cringed instinctively when she thought about him, even now she was nervous as she took a look around the room to make sure she was alone. For such a man to have perished so simply was far different from how she had imagined any confrontation between herself and him would go. Regardless of such details however, the fact remained that a life had been snuffed out last night, and she had been the one to carry out the act.

Did she regret it? No, she couldn't say she did. That was a mark against her humanity she supposed, but what was one more stain upon her soul? Innocence? Purity? She had lost those long ago. If that was the price for her freedom, it was one she had paid in full long before she had even begun to contemplate her rebellion.

Sakura breathed in deeply and put on a smile. It was too fine a day to stay all gloomy, especially as it was the first day in more than ten years that she was free to spend as she wished

A sudden beeping surprised her, her heart jumping at the unexpected noise. When she turned around however she was chagrined to find that it was only the alarm going off to tell her that it was time to wake up. Realising what that meant, Sakura smiled a little sheepishly and corrected her earlier thought in her head.

It was her first day free of Zouken's influence, but she was not completely free yet. There was that tiresome little place called school to attend first.

-x-x-x-

Neatly dressed in a school uniform that Kotomine had somehow obtained for her in the space of time between the mansion burning down and her arrival at the hotel, Sakura got off the bus and made her way towards the school. She was relaxed enough to enjoy the feel of the cool breeze against her face, and more than a few of her fellow students were surprised at how different she was from usual.

As Sakura got closer to the front gate however, her cold persona returned as she considered the task before her. Today was an important day for her, and she could not afford to make any mistakes.

Rin's attack on the Matou mansion had actually been a completely surprise for Sakura, who had been undergoing an operation at the Church to remove the last of the worms that Zouken had placed within her. Just why Rin had suddenly decided to attack the Matou family was a mystery, but it meant that the confrontation between herself and her estranged sister might occur before she was fully ready.

Truth be told, she didn't really have a plan to use against Rin. Her original plans for this Grail War had been to use the opportunity to find a way to rid Zouken's influence from her life. Not a very great ambition, but even this was a gamble that would have been unimaginable for her to take just a few years ago. The seeds of her rebellion had been sown two years ago though, when she compared for the first time the difference in the way that her sister and herself were living. At first it had just been a simple complaint in her head. A short protest at the unfairness of the world as she watched Rin laugh with her classmates during the athletic festival while she sat by herself and tried to ignore the pain of her 'training' from the night before. This voice at the back of her head had grown as she continued to see Rin at school, the older girl's bright and happy school life a stark contrast from her own depressing daily routines. Sakura's jealousy, if it could be called that, only grew worse when she noticed Kirika, taking the role that she so desired at Rin's side. Finally, her anger at the world reached a point where she decided that she wanted to do something, anything to change. With her fires of her spirit revived from the cool embers they had been burned down to, she had proceeded to throw herself at life with hopes of finding a way to break loose, a goal which she had achieved through this Grail War.

Though she was unaware of it herself, Sakura had changed a lot during these last two years. Most prominent among the changes had been her gain in confidence, a positive change to her personality that had been greatly accelerated in recent days as she gained certainty that she could rid herself of the monster in her life. She now thought in ways that she would never have considered before. A good example of this was the way she had decided that she was going to challenge her complexes head on by proving herself against her sister and her apprentice. Though still unsure, she had begun to draw upon the plans she had set in place to use against Zouken in order to apply the same pressure against Rin. It was not as if she had anywhere else to use them anyway, not after Rin had thrown her plans into disarray by charging into the Matou estate to take out Zouken herself.

The only problem with this idea however, was that she was not yet ready to do anything. Her servant was still in her foolish brother's hands, doing gods only knew what. She would have to recover Rider if she was to do anything, and she needed to do so before he did anything silly such as activating the ward that he had ordered Rider to construct around the school. Her alliance with Caster was questionable as well. She still was not sure why Caster had been so willing to help her, nor did she understand the meaning of the strange smile the servant had worn during their meeting. Talking about suspicious people however, no one could be more deserving of her doubts than the enigmatic priest at the church.

Sakura had first met Kotomine when she approached him in secret to ask about the location of a reliable person who could carry out delicate spiritual surgery. She had done so under the assumption that the mediator of the Grail War would have some connections to the Association, more than her anyway. The Matou family was somewhat of a recluse from both the modern world and the world of the mages, which meant that she had been unable to locate any such person among the lists that she had been able to access at home. She could not put out a request herself either, as Zouken would realise that she was up to something if she was to do so. Approaching the Church mediator had been something of a gamble, but it was one that had paid off for her.

When she first approached the tall and imposing priest who had greeted her at the church's door, she had been a little worried that he would find out the truth about her status as a master and tell her to go away. Thankfully, it seemed that the Book of the False Attendant had worked as it was supposed to, as the man did not say anything to the effect. She had wondered at the time if he was just unable to detect such things, but any such thoughts had been proved silly as Kotomine revealed himself to be a proficient mage in his own right, especially at the type of surgery that she required to be carried out.

A man of the cloth being a mage was strange enough, but the way that he had worked on her behalf was more than enough to earn both her thanks as well as her suspicions. Kotomine had been the one to tell her Caster's location, revealing the location to her as he suggested that she seek the servant out in order to obtain help for the surgery. Revealing such secrets so willingly to a relative of a 'master' had been strange enough, but when Sakura learned that he had used up his family's crest in order to carry out the operation she had been dumbfounded. The crest of a mage's family was more valuable than even the lives of the family members themselves, even if they were one use ones like Kotomine's, it was unimaginable that someone would use up their entire family crest to heal someone that they barely knew. When asked about this the priest had told her that it was only his duty as a priest to save the innocent, but said this with a villainous smile on his face that made Sakura even more suspicious of him.

Whatever the reason for the priests help was, Sakura had to be grateful for now as it would have been hard or almost impossible to gain her freedom without him. She would eventually have approached Caster herself, but by her own admission the servant of the spell was not a specialist when it came to spiritual surgery. If she hadn't known that Kotomine could carry out the operation however, she would not have been able to pull the truth out of the servant, and it was possible that the terms under which she was able to obtain the servant's help would have been far harsher. As it was, she had been required to give up what she knew about Rin and Kirika's servants, as well as having to persuade her brother to work with Caster as the 'master' of Rider. In return though, she had received the potion that allowed father Kotomine to remove Zouken's worm vessels from her heart by putting her body into suspended animation. Caster had also been the one who made the crystal ball that allowed her to fool Zouken until the last minute. All in all, it was a worthwhile trade.

It was possible that Caster knew by now the truth of the arrangement between her and Shinji, but Sakura was not too worried. The strength that Kirika's servants had revealed last night meant that it was unlikely that Caster would do anything to risk the alliance right now, and even if she took steps to kill Shinji and take the Book of the False Attendant herself... It would be a bit sad, but she wouldn't be broken if Shinji died at Caster's hands. Rider could also be recovered in such as situation using the stronger connection with Rider that her own command seals offered, so there was no great loss.

Which still left the problem of what to do right now, as she had to survive a day in Rin's vicinity with nothing but her wits and what magical skills she had managed to pick up in two years of self-study. Rin's personality meant that it was unlikely that she would do anything overtly hostile when there were civilians around as there were here at school, but it wasn't a sure thing. As Rin had displayed a willingness to attack and kill Matou Zouken, who had not been a master of this Grail War, it was impossible to know how far her aggression against the Matou clan stretched. If she had found out something about the Grail War that Zouken had hidden, it was possible that she had also found out about her status as a master. If so, it was not unthinkable that Rin would confront her as she had before, as a potential hostage against Shinji if nothing else if that was the extent to which she had uncovered the truth.

Sakura sighed as she sat down at her seat, having come all the way to her classroom while she thought about her current position in this Grail War. She was ready and willing to face Rin, just not right now. Her best bet then was to try and avoid Rin for today, and always keep to areas where there were other people around.

As the bell rang and the last of her classmates shuffled in, Sakura decided to forget about her concerns for now and focus on the lesson. It wasn't as if Rin was about to march into this room right now after all. She could afford to relax a little.

-x-x-x-

Just a few hours later, as the students of the school started to eat their lunch, Sakura was on the school building's rooftop deeply regretting her underestimation of how straight-forward Rin could be.

"To think that she would march into the room as soon as break started..." Sakura whispered despondently to herself.

"What did you say, Matou-san?" said the reason for her regrets.

Sakura looked up to see Rin looking at her curiously, and took heart in the fact that at least there didn't appear to be any open hostility in that gaze.

"Nothing, Tohsaka-san," Sakura replied coolly, regathering her composure. "What is it that you wished to talk about? I assume it has something to do with your indiscriminate attack upon our family last night?"

Sakura purposefully put a hint of contempt and suspicion into her last sentence. She had thought about why Rin might want to meet her in such a public space, and now that she was in front of her she had managed to narrow down the possibilities to the only one that made sense.

This was probably a declaration of war on Rin's part, or a warning at least to keep out of her way as she went after Shinji if she still thought he was the Matou master. If the former, Sakura was pleased as it would mean that Rin considered her worth acknowledging at least as an opponent. If the latter, well at least it showed that she might still care a little. Regardless, if fit Sakura's purposes to not let herself be intimidated here, and in the event that she had been revealed as Rider's true master, she was prepared to use this opportunity to deliver her own declaration of war.

Having reasoned out Rin's actions, Sakura was slightly confused when Rin appeared to flinch upon being reminded of her attack on the Matou estate. Or at least Sakura thought it was because of that.

"Uh... Uhmm... About that," Rin mumbled nervously, further confusing Sakura. "Uhm... Did you manage to recover any of your things? I mean, your clothes? I see you are wearing your uniform... So... You got your clothes out at least, right?"

With Rin looking at her expectantly, Sakura found herself wondering about the motives behind Rin's question. Her clothes? How did it matter in any way whether or not she had gotten her clothes out? Had there been a mystic code amongst her clothes that she hadn't known about? It was a ridiculous thought but that was about all that Sakura could come up with right now.

"Uhm... No, Tohsaka-san, I couldn't," Sakura replied hesitantly. "The mansion was completely burned down by the time I got there, which I assume was your doing if father Kotomine's version of events is anything to go by." Sakura paused to wonder why Rin looked like somebody had stabbed her with a needle before she continued. "This uniform was obtained for me by father Kotomine, and about the only clothes I have right now. Is that all you wanted to know?"

Rin looked even worse now, covering her face with one hand as she muttered something under her breath. Puzzled by the way this conversation was going, Sakura was forced to wonder if she had been off about the reason for this meeting, but still could not come up with any explanations beyond her initial ones.

Rin shook her head, and straightened up again. "Ahem. Let me apologise first of all, Matou-san. I admit I caused more damage than was necessary last night, and I promise that I will recompense you for any losses of material property."

Sakura nodded absently in response to Rin's statement. This was more like it. Rin's words were in line with how Sakura had imagined the perfectionist mage might behave if she believed that she was an outsider in this Grail War. If so, it was not strange that Rin would feel a duty as caretaker of Fuyuki to repair any damages to Sakura's property.

Considering this, Sakura understood that Rin had not found out anything about the connection between Rider and herself. Or at least she didn't think so. That was fortunate, as it meant she would still have the advantage of surprise when she decided it was time to confront Rin.

"Thank you for your offer, Tohsaka-san, but it's really not necessary," said Sakura. "We have enough assets apart from the mansion and its contents that I can replace my belongings easily enough. May I ask though, what reason did you have for attacking our family in the first place? I seem to recall telling you that our family is not involved in this Grail War."

The question that Sakura had tossed out to confirm her suspicions appeared to take Rin off guard again, as the normally composed girl suddenly froze and her eyes began to dart back and forth wildly like a child who had been caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

"Haha... Ha... Uhm... About that... Ha ha," beads of sweat appeared on Rin's brow as she laughed nervously, and Sakura wondered yet again just what was going on.

"Tohsaka-san?" Sakura gently called Rin.

"Yes!" Rin replied loudly as if startled. She then appeared to remember where they were and what they were doing, as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself.

"Whew... I'm sorry about that pitiful display just now. I would appreciate it if you just forgot about it," Rin told her once she had regained her composure. "I will get onto the topic now."

Finally, Sakura thought as she worked to tighten the tension in her mind that Rin had loosened with her strange antics.

Thoroughly calm now, Rin stared directly at Sakura as she explained the events of last night.

"As you are aware, last night I attacked the Matou family and killed Matou Zouken, the head of the family." Rin narrowed her eyes slightly before she continued. "While that was not my original purpose for visiting the Matou family last night, I was left with no choice but to act following my investigation of the mansion. What I mean is that under my rights as the head of the Tohsaka family and my authority as the second owner of Fuyuki, I judged that Matou Zouken had perverted the path of the mage, to such an extent that immediate action was required. I have begun to fill out a report for the Association, and this marks the extent of my actions against the Matou family for now."

Sakura had frozen up when Rin revealed that she had investigated the mansion, and how what she had found had been offensive enough that she had immediately acted to remove the one behind it. Rin's choice of words was a slight shock to Sakura, as it reminded her that she too was one of the results of Zouken's experimentation. A sense of disgust and self-loathing filled her as she remembered what she had undergone at the old monster's hands, and at the same time she feared what Rin might think of her right now. She had to know a little about what had happened in that basement workshop. It was impossible for any self-respecting mage to mistake the purpose of that room. If Rin thought that place was so filthy as to demand immediate purification, did that mean that she thought that she was tainted as well? That she had been dirtied beyond redemption?

From that wavering position, Sakura's thoughts travelled further, and she found herself growing a little angry. If Zouken's experiments were so wrong, why hadn't she moved sooner? Yes, there was the principle of non-interference between mages of different houses, but surely she had to have known a little of what the Matou path of magic involved? Why hadn't she looked into the matter sooner? Was she so unimportant that Rin couldn't find the time to make just one visit to the Matou mansion?

As Sakura hid her rising emotions behind a mask of icy indifference, Rin kept on speaking, unaware of Sakura's thoughts.

"According to my knowledge, Matou Zouken's death means that there are now no practising mages in the Matou family, am I right?" Rin waited for Sakura to give her a slow nod of confirmation. "Yes, well. That brings us to the real reason I called you up here."

This was it, Sakura thought, her mind colored by the negative thoughts that had risen to the surface as she was reminded the unfairness of her life. Rin was about to tell her leave Fuyuki for the duration of the Grail War, or something along those lines. It was a dismissal, nothing more. A casual order from a mage to a commoner to leave their vicinity in order to get rid of a potential annoyance. Well, if that was so, she wasn't about to sit still and take it. It was rash, and more than a little silly considering her vulnerability right now, but Sakura made up her mind to declare war against Tohsaka Rin here and now. Waiting for Rin to speak the fateful words, Sakura readied the switch of her mystic eyes, intending to use every card she had available to get across to the arrogant mage before her that she was no longer just another ignorant sheep to sweep aside and forget about.

"I speak now as the sixth head of the Tohsaka family," Rin said slowly and forcefully as Sakura watched her like a hawk. "As the Matou family no longer possesses the capacity to continue to travel on the path towards the Origin, I formally request that you rejoin the Tohsaka family, Matou-san. No, Sakura-chan."

"I - ..." As soon as Rin finished speaking Sakura opened her mouth to make her intentions clear, but froze up as Rin's words penetrated the red haze in her head.

"... Uhm... What?" Sakura mumbled as her head went blank. What had Rin just told her?

"I understand that this might be a bit sudden Sakura-chan," Rin said nervously, but with growing confidence. "But, I would like to take this opportunity to become a family again, and I hope that you will feel the same way."

Sakura felt numb as Rin smiled at her warmly, only now realising that Rin was calling her by her first name, something that she couldn't remember her doing since that day so long ago when she had been given the ribbon she still wore in her hair. Was she dreaming? This couldn't be real. Could it?

"..."

"... Sakura?"

"..."

"... Uhm... Do you need some time to think about this, Sakura?"

This had to be a dream.

**4-3**

Covalent bonds, carbon atoms, and multi-dimensional refraction phenomena. Kirika's thoughts were in chaos as she sat through a chemistry lesson trying to sort out some of the more shocking revelations of the last five days.

In an expanse of time less than a week long, Kirika's world had undergone serious shifts. Rin having a sister that she had never said anything about to start with, Rin killing somebody, and servants that defied all the laws of magic to trespass on the realm of True Magic with physical ability alone. When she considered that these were but the latest in a series of mind-breaking events, it made her wonder if there would be anything left in this world that could surprise her by the time this Grail War finished.

Having thought that, Kirika instantly recognised the notion as a silly one and shook her head ruefully. Of course there would be surprises. It was the little and great unexpected marvels in one's days that made life worth living in the first place. For all she knew, she too had a sister out there somewhere.

"..." Kirika stopped and stared blankly at the notebook in front of her. Thinking about the way Kiritsugu had behaved, the idea was actually not that farfetched. In the end however, she laughed weakly to herself and dismissed the idea as unlikely at best.

Not all surprises were so pleasant though. One particular example troubled Kirika's thoughts now as she remembered the discussions from last night and early this morning. The thing that bothered her was the fact that Rin had killed someone. From what she had said, the old man was a mage himself, and Kirika knew from what Rin and Kirei had taught her that the first resolution that a mage had to make was to be ready to face death at any time. Nevertheless, the revelation that Rin had it in her to ruthlessly kill someone had shocked her when she found out about it. More so because she knew from experience that Rin was not someone who regarded human life lightly.

When she had revealed her discomfort to Saber and Lily this morning, Saber had subtly admonished her for her weakness. Lily hadn't said anything, but from the awkward smile on her face as Saber had spoken it was clear that though she thought differently to her twin, she couldn't disagree completely. Was she really the one that was wrong then? To have hoped to get through this war without anyone being killed? Saber had said that she needed to understand that this was a war, not a play where no one died for real. That was true, and she had believed that she understood, but this first death had shaken her resolve more than she had thought possible.

Kirika sighed heavily and bowed her head so that her long hair veiled her face, an action which drew the attention of her classmates nearby who wondered why the usually cheerful girl seemed so down today. Issei in particular kept shifting in his seat as he threw glances at her, as if he wanted to jump up and go over to her in order to comfort her. Kirika's classmates were not the only ones to notice though, and the teacher stopped to comment on her attitude.

"Emiya-san, is there a problem?" asked the strict middle-aged man who was responsible for this class.

Lost in her thoughts, Kirika didn't respond to the question, and continued to scribble absently on her notebook as the teacher's brow began to crinkle with displeasure.

"Emiya-san!" the teacher called out forcefully. "Are you paying attention?"

At the repeated call, Kirika became aware that someone was calling her, and straightened up quickly when she realised it was the teacher.

"I'm sorry, Sakabata-sensei," Kirika apologised hurriedly as she remembered she was in the middle of class. "What was it you just said?"

The teacher's salt-and-pepper eyebrows twitched as he realised that Kirika hadn't been listenting to him. With any other student he would already have lost his temper, but Kirika was well known around the school as a diligent student and so he decided to confirm his suspicions.

"I asked if there was a problem, Emiya-san," he repeated for Kirika.

Unable to say anything in her defence, Kirika bowed her head in apology. "No there isn't, Sakabata-sensei."

The chemistry teacher tapped his gaunt finger against the blackboard as he frowned in obvious displeasure.

"In that case, Emiya-san," he finally said, making up his mind as to what to do. "Do you mind telling everyone what the difference is between a sigma bond and a pi bond?"

"A sigma bond and a pi bond? Uhm..." Kirika's doll like face regained its usual serenity as she cleared her mind to rifle through her memories for the required information. "A sigma bond is the strongest type of covalent bond, formed by overlapping between atomic shells. Pi bonds on the other hand describe a weaker type of bond that forms... When two orbital paths overlap? Sorry, sir, but I can't remember that last part."

Somewhat surprised that Kirika knew the answer to the question, the chemistry teacher dispelled his anger and filled in the part that Kirika's description lacked.

"Pi bonds mostly form between electrons on the P orbitals of atoms, and you are correct to say that the bonds form when orbitals overlap, although this overlap is generally on two nodes of the orbital unlike a sigma bond," placated, he decided to let Kirika go with just a short warning. "It's good to see that you are keeping up with the material, but please pay attention to the lesson, Emiya-san."

"I will, Sakabata-sensei," Kirika replied firmly.

The rest of the lesson passed by without incident, and Kirika found the material pleasant for once as focusing on the lesson meant she didn't have to struggle with the emotional tangle in her head. Soon enough however, the bell rang, and Kirika was left with her thoughts again as everybody began to get ready for lunch.

"Hah..."

Lacking the energy to move from her seat, Kirika sighed as she put her face down on her desk in a move that Rin would have told her off for had she seen it. Her self-appointed teacher in matters feminine was strict that way, not allowing any behaviour that she regarded unladylike if they were in public. It was somewhat hypocritical of Rin that she blatantly ignored this rule if she felt like it, but after six years it was as much habit for Kirika as was wearing girl's clothes. Right now though, the muddled feelings in her heart that she couldn't bring herself to care.

Her uncharacteristic lifelessness provoked a flurry of whispers from the other students, many of whom had already been curious after the odd episode during the chemistry class. It was a strange point about Kirika however that while she was on good terms with everyone in the class, there was no one who could confidently say that they were close to her. This was not usually evident, but in cases like this where there was the potential for awkwardness, the lack of deep relationships showed as no one ventured near.

In the end, it was Issei who moved. Urged on by the girls who supported his cute crush on Kirika, he got up and headed towards Kirika's seat to the jealous gazes of the other boys, many of whom were regretting their lack of initiative in siezing this chance to get close to one of the flowers of the school.

Issei gulped as he got close to the objection of his infantile emotions, who hadn't noticed him as she seemed lost in thought. Opening his mouth to call her, Issei stopped as he realised he had no idea what he was going to say.

"..."

"Hau..."

"..."

"... Hmm?" Kirika became aware of Issei's presence, and straightened up, brushing the loose strands of her silky hair out of her face as she turned to face him.

"Hello, Issei-kun," Kirika greeted him with a smile that melted his heart. "Did you want to say something?"

"..." Issei was silent, what clumsy words he had formed in his head scattered to the winds after he was exposed to Kirika's smile.

Though she could have taken the silence strangely, Kirika simply continued to look up at Issei expectantly. The realisation that Kirika was waiting for him to speak was what finally broke Issei from his spell, and he blurted out the first thing that came to his head.

"Nice weather we are having, isn't it?" he squeaked, causing some of the girls to drive their heads against the nearest hard surface in frustration.

"Yes, it is isn't it?" Kirika replied kindly, she wasn't so completely clueless as to not realise that this wasn't the real subject and encouraged Issei to speak with another warm smile that lit up her golden eyes.

Not realising at all that she was the cause for Issei's flustered demeanour.

"Ha... Ahem. Uh, well, that is," Issei tried valiantly to hold himself together in the face of Kirika's relentless assault upon his thought processes. "Ah, yes! Uhm, I was going to ask you if you were feeling alright Emiya-san."

"Hmm?" Kirika wondered why he would ask that before she realised that her behaviour had been a little unusual today, and looked down at the desk as she allowed her copper hair to half veil her face again.

"It's nothing really, Issei-kun," she told the concerned young man. "I just have some things on my mind."

Reminded again of the strain she felt as a master in the Grail War, Kirika's face was shadowed as she drew small circles on the desk top with the end of her dainty finger. It would have surprised many people who thought they knew her that though the skin of her hand looked as if it unblemished, it was in fact covered with thin lines from the damage that she had taken while training her martial arts. It was only thanks to Rin's almost obsessive care to treat each wound that the scars were the tiny lines that they were.

Seeing Kirika's depressed state, Issei was not the only person in the room to feel a tug on their protective instincts. He was however the only one who was close enough and mentally unbalanced enough by his attraction for Kirika to do what he did next.

"Would you go out with me as a pre-condition to marriage, Emiya-san?" Issei said hurriedly as he put his hand on top of Kirika's. As soon as the words left his mouth, his brain caught up to the conversation, and Issei turned white as he realised what he had just done.

Issei's sudden confession had taken everyone in the class by surprise, and it took a while for everyone to register what he had just said. When everybody had processed it though, there was a sudden silence that filled the room for an instant before a huge uproar started. The girls were shrieking with excitement as the time they had been waiting for since the year started finally came, and the boys were shouting at Issei for daring to violate the sacred agreement that all the males and some of the females in the class had signed in regards to Kirika.

As for Kirika herself, she was frozen in shock as she ran through Issei's request in her head to try and find the misunderstanding that had to be in there somewhere. Over and over, she considered the words, and assigned possible meanings to them. In the end however, the results kept on boiling down to one irrefutable conclusion.

Ryuudou Issei, president of the school council and son of the head priest at the local temple.  
>- Had just asked her to be his girlfriend.<p>

"... Eh? Eh?" Kirika's eyes began to roll in panic as she tried to think up a response to this out-of-the-blue combo attack.

Issei too was on the verge of panic as his embarassment battled with his relief at having finally gotten his feelings towards Kirika out. Red-faced and sweating, he nevertheless kept his eyes on Kirika as he awaited the reply that would either condemn him to the dark depths of depression or raise his spirit to heavenly heights.

Kirika's cherry red cheeks reflected the growing heat inside her head as her brain overclocked itself in its calculations as to how to respond. The calls and cheers from the girls around the room for her to accept were not helping matters.

_Warning - self-concept dimensions destabilised. Memory/Reality disjunction. Shatterglass Refractorium pattern propagation 80 per cent over safe limits._

The fact that somebody had asked her to go out with them was not something that Kirika had really ever thought would apply to her. In the last few years since she had been turned into a girl by the Kaleidostick, she had come to accept the role of a girl, but had never truly thought about what that would mean until she started to get her periods three years ago. That had marked a transition point for her in the way she regarded herself, and it was then that she had completely accepted the fact that she was a girl now. Somewhere in the back of her head however, her previous identity as a boy had survived. It was this sub-conscious perception of herself that was responsible for Kirika coming to be called Miss Naivete by her classmates.

Since her acceptance of reality, Kirika regarded herself and behaved as she had been taught by Rin. In other words she carried herself as a girl of good breeding would in public. Mentally however, while 'Kirika' was the one who made all the decisions, 'Shirou' still controlled the functions of the Id and the Ego. This congruence of two mutually exclusive self-identities had created a strange equilibrium in Kirika's mind. The end result being that she was literally unable to perceive another person's attraction for herself.

Friendliness and caramaderie was okay, and Kirika's open nature meant that she was able to fit easily enough into any group. Anything beyond that however encountered her mental barriers, and was misinterpreted or completely unnoticed. A good example of this was her total obliviousness towards the heated looks that a lot of the male population at the school threw her way. When others mentioned such things to her, she laughed it off saying it was impossible for such a thing to be true. Direct approaches did not work either. Many brave souls had fallen before Fortress Shirou as they charged at her with love letters and Valentine's chocolates, each and everyone of them unable to persuade Kirika that their affections were anything more than a joke.

Technically, Issei's confession right now should have ended the same way, with Kirika complimenting Issei for his good attempt at cheering her up. The fact that it was Issei who had just confessed however was what had opened up that first little chink in Kirika's formidable mental walls.

Kirika had been around Issei for a while now. Fate conspiring to put them in the same class through Junior high as well as for their time up till now in Homurabara. Though Issei didn't realise it himself, his constant battles with Rin and his caretaker role over his classmates meant that he was in Kirika's presence more than almost anyone else in her life. Though he had yet to cross the line from friend to family, Kirika had come to value his presence over the years, and by now was very aware of his earnest approach to everything in life. This knowledge of Issei's earnesty lent itself to Issei's confession, allowing a potential cupid's arrow to finally penetrate into her mind.

The effects were instantaneous. Kirika was forced to consider his confession, and how she felt about it. Consulting her feelings in the matter only made things worse as she realised that the range of emotions that had been stirred up by Issei's words were so chaotic that they were impossible to comprehend. This led to further thoughts as to why this was so, and for the first time in three years, 'Kirika' and 'Shirou' perceived each other.

Was she a girl? Or was she a boy? 'Kirika' argued the former while 'Shirou' proclaimed the latter as the truth of her being. Superficially she was a member of the fairer sex, and 'Kirika' took this irreversible fact to mean that form should shape spirit. 'Shirou' on the other hand was firm on the fact that the spirit one was born with was the core of one's being, and that spirit overruled form. It was an unending tug-of-war that started up in Kirika's head as two sides of her identity that she hadn't even suspected to exist began to argue.

"... Kirika-chan?" Issei asked uncertainly, his hopes rapidly sinking as Kirika's solemn silence continued. It was the first time that he had called her by name since she had given him permission at the start of last year.

Kirika heard Issei, but she still hadn't come up with an answer. How could she? Issei's question demanded that she first answer the question of who exactly she was, a tangled problem that she had no idea where to start unravelling.

"... I'm sorry, Issei-kun, but could you please let me think about this for a while?" Kirika finally said as she regained some of her thought capacity. "This is all a bit sudden, and..."

Her answer made everyone groan, and Issei choked back a cry of some unknown emotion as Kirika gave him a strained smile. He felt gutted, but took heart in the fact that at least it hadn't been an outright refusal.

"No, that's alright Emiya-san," said Issei, returning to the more formal method of address. His voice a bit strangled as if he was having difficulty controlling his emotions. "I guess it was a bit unthoughtful of me to surprise you like that, especially with such a forceful confession."

Kirika chuckled nervously in response as she thought about what Issei had said. What was it? Go out with him as a pre-condition to marriage? The almost ridiculously passionate words brought a drop of sweat to Kirika's brow as her conflicted mind went over what the implications might have been had she unconsciously replied yes.

"Yes, that was rash of me," Issei muttered, almost to himself as if he was trying to hypnotise himself into believing it. "I suppose I must have been hoping to sweep you off your feet like Souichirou-san did with his fiancee. Hmm, I must find out exactly how he did that."

"Wait, are you talking about Kuzuki-sensei?" Kirika asked in disbelief, latching onto the topic both out of curiosity as well as a desire to talk about anything other than herself. "_The_ Kuzuki-sensei? The one who never smiles?"

Issei was apparently just as eager to avoid the topic of the confession as well, as the words started flowing. "Yes, surprising isn't it? Souichirou-san apparently met her a while ago while he was out, and they fell in love. She's currently staying with us at the temple right now until they marry because their romance apparently led to her running away from her house. I never expected such a thing from Souichirou-san, but there you go."

"Wow," Kirika blinked as she brought up an image of the stern teacher in her mind. "I would never have imagined that Kuzuki-sensei to be such a romantic. What does his fiancee look like?"

"Oh, she's very beautiful," Issei told her, but then followed that up with a slight frown. "In fact, it's a little problematic as all the younger monks-in-training keep getting distracted by her. I suppose it's understandable though. It's not everyday that you see such a beautiful foreigner."

Kirika's ear caught an unexpected word and she looked at Issei questioningly. "Foreigner?"

Issei nodded. "Yes. Apparently she's a noble who came here after she was tricked by some scoundrel of a man. I think she said she's from Greece or somewhere around that region.

_Memory connection. Caster - Female, Human. Spellcraft. Divine Words - Geographic Origin - Ancient Greece. Identified words. Atlas, Hyperion, Aegis._

Memories of last night's battle at Ryuudouji temple popped up in Kirika's head, and she frowned in consternation as she realised that Caster was a woman, and that the spells she had used were Grecian in origin. How she knew that last part was a mystery, but her instincts told her that it was true. Adding what Issei had just told her to that information, she rapidly came to a conclusion.

"Tell me something, Issei-kun. Has Kuzuki-sensei been doing anything unusual at night recently," Kirika said slowly as she carefully shaped her words. If Kuzuki-sensei was Caster's master, it wouldn't be strange for Caster to have placed a geas on Issei to prevent any leaks of information. She had to be careful to avoid any such trigger as she delved deeper.

She must have phrased things in a too roundabout manner though, as Issei went bright red.

"At night? Ahem. I did happen to hear some strange noises from his room. Ahem," Issei coughed and put his hands together in a Buddhist prayer position. "Must clear my mind of extraneous thoughts. Evil thoughts, begone. Evil thoughts, begone."

"Huh? Huh?" Kirika wondered why Issei was acting like this, and then understood what he had meant. "Huh? I don't mean that! What I meant was if there's been anything unusual recently at the temple?"

"Hmm? Oh," Issei put his hands down and looked at her quizzically. "Why didn't you just say so? Hmm, I haven't noticed anything strange. Oh wait, hang on. Matou-kun has been coming up to the temple recently. Apparently his family and Souichirou's san's fiancee's family are old acquaintances."

Kirika nodded absently before she realised what was wrong in what Issei had just said.

"Wait, Matou-kun? You mean Sakura's brother?" she asked as she leapt to her feet.

"Uhm, yes," Issei replied, surprised by Kirika's sudden interest. "He came up last night as well to bring them something. I'm not sure when he went back down though."

Kirika's mind was whirling as she put together the dots. Shinji had known about Caster, that was obvious from the information he had told her. What he hadn't said was anything about meeting Caster personally. That in itself was a cause for suspicion, but Rin had said that the Matou's were an old mage family, heavily involved in the construction of the Grail system. From her observation of Matou Shinji, she knew that he was no different from any other fit young man, but was it so unlikely that coming as he did from such an old house he couldn't have found a way to become a master. If he was involved in the Grail War himself, then everything suddenly made sense. From her lingering suspicions as to how he had found such accurate information against the servant who was naturally best suited to foil such attempts, to the unexplained appearance of Rider at the mountain last night.

Hang on a second, then what about Sakura? Kirika thought about the fact that the two were brothers and sisters. Rin had said that they weren't actually siblings by blood, and that in fact Sakura was her sister, but there was the very likely chance that ten years together had created a bond of some sorts between Sakura and Shinji. Sakura was also known to be quite obedient when it came to Shinji's immature demands as well if Archery club rumours were anything to go by. In that case...

Kirika's blood chilled as she remembered Rin saying that she was planning to have a face to face meeting with Sakura today. If Shinji had lied about being involved in the Grail War, then what about Sakura? Even if she wasn't the Matou master, she was just as capable of becoming a mage as Rin had been. Rin had said that Sakura didn't appear to have grown up as a mage, but what if it was all an act?

Truly alarmed now, Kirika quickly glanced about the room. She couldn't see Shinji anywhere. Come to think of it, she didn't remember seeing him today.

"Issei-kun? Have you seen Matou-kun today?" Kirika asked quickly.

"No, I haven't," Issei told her in a somewhat disgruntled tone. Why was she asking about the playboy? "I did hear that there was a fire at his house last night, so it might be that he's busy sorting that out."

Kirika considered the suggestion, and then made up her mind. She had to go to Rin. With two masters and their servants possibly here at the school, it was too risky to leave her alone to meet Sakura.

Grabbing her bag, Kirika looked at the clock. It had already been a while since lunch started. She had to hurry.

"Uhm, Issei-kun, I think I will go eat lunch now," Kirika said as she checked her physical and mental condition. Fitness, check. Prana, overflowing as usual. Servants?

Opening up the line between her and her servants, Kirika let out an urgent call.

_Saber, Lily, come to the school at once. I am heading for the rooftop, so look for me there._

The situation as she perceived it was serious enough that had she possessed any spare command seals, she might have used one right then and there. As it was however, she was thankful that Saber and Lily had refused to let her come to school today unless they were nearby. While she had refused to have them come onto school grounds, they should be sitting at a nearby cafe from where they shouldn't take too long to arrive. The only question was whether or not that would be too late.

"Talk to you later, Issei-kun," she said as she rushed out of the classroom, leaving an off-kilter Issei in her wake.

Running for the rooftop at a speed that had one very familiar athletics club member call out for her to join the club, Kirika had just made it onto the second floor when the world suddenly went red.

-x-x-x-

Matou Shinji was not a very brave soul. It was not a trait that was normally apparent in him, but when faced with challenges beyond immediate comprehension or solution, it was not uncommon for him to not know what to do.

This weakness of his character had caused him to almost break down when he discovered that the Matou residence had been raided, the mansion burnt down, and his grandfather killed. Matou Zouken's passing was a great shock to Shinji, in whose mind Matou Zouken was a source of fear and obedience as he had been for most members of the extended family. Matou Zouken had ruled the clan with an iron fist for as long as anyone could remember, and for such a figure to have perished left Shinji in a state of panic as he wondered if he was next.

The thought was not too strange for him to have. Caster had informed him that it was Tohsaka Rin who had carried out the attack, and Shinji knew from experience how strictly Tohsaka followed the code of a mage. If she had decided to declare war on the Matou family, it was unquestionable that she would seek to finish the deed by killing the most important person (at least in his mind) among the members living here in Fuyuki.

His twitchy mood was a stark contrast from the face he had shown at the beginning of last night, shouting with elation as Rider and Caster appeared to have cornered Saber. That excitement though had quickly faded as Saber revealed just why those of her class were considered the most powerful of the seven classes of servant that were summoned by the Grail. With one attack from her noble phantasm she had cleared the area of the dragontooth soldiers that had been impeding her movements, and had then proceeded to easily subdue Rider before she was called away by her master.

Shinji had been surprised by how easily the tables had been turned, and words could not have described his frustration at how weak his servant was compared to that magnificent sword wielder. This was another cause for his emotional unstability right now, as he might have found confidence in his servant had Rider proved herself to be strong enough to protect him adequately. Weakened as she was by the transfer of mastery from Sakura to Shinji however, she was clearly no match for Saber, and Shinji was dissatisfied by this. Not realising, or refusing to accept that much of the reason for this was himself.

Even worse, Rider's exertions during the battle coupled with Shinji's indiscriminate use of her prana in order to create shadow familiars by which to spy on the battle meant that she was so depleted that it was becoming difficult to even maintain physical shape. The uncertainty that this had planted in Shinji's heart had bloomed forth when he found out that Rin had killed Zouken, and had found a source of nourishment in Caster, who had eagerly siezed a chance to strengthen her control over the foolish boy.

Caster was well aware of the fact that Shinji was behind the creation of the bounded field around the school, and had idly mentioned in passing that Rider might regain some of her usefulness should he activate it and use those inside as a source of nourishment. Who knew? Tohsaka Rin and Emiya Kirika were students as well. Might they not be caught in the trap as well? The words had been accompanied by a hypnotic suggestion for Shinji to carry out the act, and then return to the mountain, but there was no way for Shinji to know that. Instead, he listened, and thought himself brilliant for having planned ahead for just this eventuality.

As soon as he had made up his mind, he had hurried to the school with Rider in tow. Getting there just as the chemistry lesson he should have attended ended, he had frightened a few first years with the light of madness in his eyes.

Going into the Archery dojo where the centrepiece of the bounded field rested, he had then proceeded to order the reluctant servant to activate the ward that she had set up.

Blood Fort Andromeda.  
>- A demonic noble phantasm that recreates the temple where the monster Medusa used to live. Turning the space inside into a palace of darkness where natural light could not reach, it's red light was well matched to its purpose of slowly digesting alive all living things that it contained in order to supply Rider with prana.<p>

As the red light deepened, Rider grew visibly stronger, and when a message arrived from Caster saying that Tohsaka Rin and Emiya Kirika were inside the school building, Shinji realised that he had succeeded. All he needed to do now was stand here, and wait for his foes to perish in the face of his might.

"Hahahahaha. Hahahahahahaha! HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Shinji laughed manicly.

Standing behind him, Rider watched him with her expression mostly hidden by the visor across her eyes, but it was impossible to mistake the disapproval she felt. For one thing, the centre of the ward was too far away from where most of the people were for her to absorb their prana quickly. His pitiful magical power was no help here as it hindered her efforts rather than helped. At this rate, it was far more likely that the enemy masters would arrive here before she was finished than it was that she could complete the job without interference. Her idiotic master however didn't seem to realise that, being drunk on the power that he was feeling from the Book of the False Attendant which allowed him to mimic spellcraft by drawing on her prana.

Rider sighed softly as Shinji continued to make a fool of himself. She hadn't thought she could miss Sakura any more than she already did, but Shinji was proving her wrong with every second that he drew breath. She almost wished that an enemy servant would come by already to put her out of her misery.

**4-4**

The air around Kirika suddenly flared with light as the prana that continously flooded her circuits reacted against the savage pull of the active ward. When it settled down, Kirika was alarmed to see that all around her the normal students of the schools had collapsed, some of them entering into convulsions as the ward ravaged their bodies and minds.

For an instant Kirika considered stopping to try and help them, but training and reason overcame instinct and she hurried up onto the third floor. With her limited healing skills it was unlikely she could do much good, and it was no use helping one student when there were so many at risk. The best option here was to meet up with Rin and work together with their servants to find the person behind this crazy act.

Upon reaching the third floor however, Kirika was forced to stop. Not because of any problem with her legs, but because of an unexpected presence in the hallway before her.

"Kuzuki-sensei," Kirika muttered as she spotted the potential master and enemy.

"Emiya is it?" the infamously expressionless history teacher noted as he approached her. "I assume that you are after the person behind this act."

Kirika didn't say anything. To say yes here was to declare hostilities and lose time against an opponent she knew nothing about. A risky proposition at best, it was a risk she couldn't afford to take when Rin was potentially in danger above.

It might have been that in her haste she betrayed something of her intentions, but Kirika flinched as Kuzuki coolly turned his eyes to the stairwell and the stairs leading up towards the rooftop.

"Something up there is it?" Kuzuki said in his characteristically dry but heavy voice.

As the thin but somehow intimidating man began to make his way to the stairs, Kirika steeler herself and jumped forward to bar his way. If Kuzuki-sensei really was a master, it was far better that she stop him from joining whoever was on the roof rather than joining the fray herself in his wake. Rin had Archer with her, so it was likely that she would be able to fight back against any attack, and her own servants were supposed to arrive soon too. All she needed to do was hold Kuzuki-sensei here until Rin got free.

"I see," Kuzuki said when he realised Kirika's intentions. "I suppose that you too are a mage? Caster told me to prioritise Tohsaka, but she also told me to retrieve you if possible."

Having said that, Kuzuki took off his glasses and took up a simple fighting stance. It was a simple act that took less than a second, but all of a sudden Kirika felt like a frog before a snake. The reaction was not from killing intent, because Kuzuki's killing intent was unnaturally faint. Instead the fear came as all her instincts warned her that this was not someone to take lightly. Those instincts had saved her more than once, and Kirika was not about to ignore their message.

"Trace, on," dropping her bag, Kirika quietly intoned her switch phrase in order to project her usual twin dao.

As soon as she had opened her mouth however, Kuzuki had begun to move. It was only a combination of instincts and reactions drilled into her by the unnaturally fast Kirei that allowed Kirika to dodge that first attack. Even so, she did not escape, as Kuzuki immediately followed the attack up with a flurry of blows that slipped past her hastily erected defence to strike her like hammers.

"Kuh," Kirika coughed blood as she flailed her arms to force Kuzuki to step back lest he be cut by her swords.

Barely five seconds had passed since the initiation of hostilities, but Kirika was already in a mess. Kuzuki's attack had come at angles that to Kirika's mind should not have been possible, and her defence had been of almost no use at all. Had her instincts not been moving her body at full drive, it was possible that she might even have died. All the attacks had struck areas of the body that were considered fatal points in martial arts and Chinese medicine. If they had connected cleanly Kirika would have perished, but her instincts had allowed her to move slightly every time, and the damage had been reduced as the hits came in off-center from their targets.

_Load reflection parameter - EMIYA. Reflection integrity, 9 per cent._

There was no time for her to rest as Kuzuki again pressed in. This time however Kirika wasn't just standing there and taking the hits. Quickly calculating the best way to defend herself, she struck out at Kuzuki's shoulders to cut off his weird movements at their point of origin. Or at least that was the plan. As fast as she moved with her circuits boosting her reflexes, Kuzuki was simply far more experienced than her and easily denied her the opening. The difference in height was a problem here as Kirika's 158cm tall frame, while respectable for a girl her age, offered her nowhere near the reach that Kuzuki could get with his 180cm body. In terms of pure speed Kirika was one step ahead of Kuzuki, and this allowed her to survive his attacks. On the offense however that advantage was negated by the difference in height, and Kuzuki gained two steps in his favour from being able to read her movements.

Reeling from a hit that had come out of nowhere to rock the back of her head, Kirika leapt back as far as she could manage in order to buy some time to think. It was a break she sorely needed, as her condition was such that she could not afford to fight much longer, let alone on such one-sided terms as up till now. A quick assessment as she was in the air told her that she had internal bleeding around her guts, and a cracked rib or two. Her neck and head were in bad shape too, with blood coming out from where the more delicate flesh had been gashed open by Kuzuki's attack.

At full boost, Kirika could jump about 4 metres in any direction from a near standing start. She had thought that this would be enough to surprise Kuzuki, but she was surprised in turn when a huge blow caught her on a barely raised guard, just as her tip of her toes reached the ground.

Lifted off her feet again, involuntarily this time, Kirika was smashed back into the wall of the corridor. The impact was not that great, but the shock of the hit froze her for a moment, which was an instant too long against her opponent.

"Kyaa!" Kirika screamed in pain as Kuzuki managed to catch her shoulder with a clean hit, dislocating her left arm. Soon afterwards, her screams only intensified as Kuzuki's hand grabbed hold of her long hair, pulling her towards him with irresistable force.

_Integrating memories. Revised reflection integrity at 21 per cent. Eye of the Mind (True), High Speed Analysis, Overload - Enabled._

Focusing through the pain, Kirika's mind spun as she fought to find a solution to her predicament in the miniscule space of time she knew she had before an attack she couldn't defend against finished her off. Crossing off available options at a lightning pace, Kirika identified one possible method, and her body instantly responded with a speed that should have been impossible without the decades of training that were required to build in such reflexes.

Raising her still functioning right arm, she brought the steel dao foward just in time to intercept Kuzuki's lashing fist. It was only a temporary diversion, but it was enough for Kirika to duck her head so that her hair was stretched tight. In that position, she brought her dao across, and cut the strands that Kuzuki was holding in order to free herself.

This was not the end, and Kirika's prana stampeded down her dislocated left arm to fill the dao in that limp hand before it dropped to the floor. Kirika then rushed away from the spot as fast as possible, and smiled as Kuzuki followed her, just as she had planned.

Behind Kuzuki, the dao that had been dropped suddenly splintered as the prana that had been poured into it overcame its structural integrity. The reproduced sword then promptly exploded in a fiery burst, scattering metal shards in a confined radius. A radius within which both Kuzuki and Kirika existed. Kirika however was relatively sheltered from the splash over by the bigger body of Kuzuki, who she had managed to interpose between herself and the explosion. Her opponent was not so lucky, and appeared stumble as the metal fragments hit him. The damage was not fatal by any means, being limited by the short duration which Kirika had available to her as she over-charged the sword. It was enough though for Kirika to distance herself enough from her stoic opponent to regain her bearings.

_Parameter - EMIYA, Reflection integrity at 27 per cent. Error: Possibility disjunction. Pattern correlation below levels required for parameter loading to continue. Searching for alternative options. WARNING - mentality destabilisation at 2 per cent and rising. Alternative parameter located. Initiating cross-reference with Parameter - ******, in order to stabilise connection._

Pain overwhelmed Kirika's senses as she diagnosed her own condition by running prana through her nerves. Her nervous system had been forged into circuits by Kiritsugu's somewhat unorthodox training methods, and by scanning the flow of prana she could get a general idea of how much damage she had taken. The feedback from her quick inspection wasn't a good one. Her circuits themselves were in relatively good shape, but the damage to her left shoulder had effectively sealed that arm, and the damage she had accumulated was slowing the response of the rest of her body to her orders.

Looking across at the history teacher trying to kill her, she saw that he had taken far less damage overall, and even most of that from the blast just now. At this rate it was clear that she would not be able to survive another exchange. Another trick with overloading wasn't going to work either, as she no longer possessed the physical capacity to get clear of the blast after she released it. If she was going to win this she was going to have to pull something out of the hat, now.

"Kuzuki-sensei, why are you doing this?" Kirika gasped out as she voiced a question that had hung in her head since this fight started. It was also a ploy to buy time, but he didn't need to know that.

Kuzuki had been flexing his arms and legs, checking out the damage to his own body before trying to approach her again. Upon being asked this question by Kirika however, he stopped, and gave her a look that she thought might hold a trace of curiosity.

"Are you referring to this thing that has surrounded the school, Emiya?" Kuzuki asked her. "If so, this is neither my doing nor Caster's."

"What?" Kirika forgot about her pain and fighting for a moment as she looked at the taller man incredulously. "Don't lie. If the servant of the spell isn't behind a ridiculous ward like this than who could be?"

"I am not a mage myself, so I'm not aware of the particulars," Kuzuki admitted without any change in tone. "Caster did say however that Matou Shinji's servant was going to do something today. If you are looking for the cause of this than you should try to locate him."

Kirika wasn't sure whether or not to believe Kuzuki, but had no time to dwell upon the fact before the mysterious teacher suddenly frowned slightly and turned straightened up.

"As you say, Caster," Kuzuki said out loud, and then he suddenly turned and ran away towards the other end of the school building.

Surprised by this turn of events, Kirika was wondering what had happened when the windows nearby were smashed in, admitting Saber onto the scene.

"Master!" Saber cried out upon seeing Kirika's condition.

Upon catching sight of her servant, Kirika sighed in relief and fell to her knees.

"Just in time, Saber," she said weakly. "Where's Lily?"

"Lily is with Rin and Archer right now," Saber told her as she knelt down to check Kirika's wounds. "We met them outside just as we arrived at the building."

"Outside?" Kirika groaned as she realised she had almost carried out a heroic last stand for nothing.

"Sit still, master," Saber admonished her as she ripped Kirika's shirt to make a bandage for the worst of her open wounds. It was the best she could do as she did not know any healing magic herself.

"Kirika," Kirika muttered as the tension began to drain out of her.

"Excuse me?" Saber paused to look at her.

"Call me Kirika already," Kirika reminded her. "If somebody was around to hear you call me master they might mistake me for kind of pervert or something. Gyah!"

"This really is not the time, master," Saber said stubbornly as she tightened the makeshift bandage a little tighter than necessary. "Now, you might want bite on something master. I'm going to-."

Saber abandoned whatever she was about to say as she leapt up in response to something. Kirika wondered if Kuzuki had come back, but then realised that the sound had come from above. Turning to look in that direction, she saw an unexpected face that made her raise an eyebrow.

"Matou-chan?"

"Emiya-san," Sakura murmured from her position on the stairs.

Remembering her suspicions from earlier, Kirika was about to ask Sakura if she knew anything about the current situation when Saber suddenly darted across her line of sight. There was a flash of light immediately afterwards, and Kirika's vision went dark as an explosion rocked the corridor.

-x-x-x-

Tohsaka Rin was enraged. Not only had her touching moment of reunion with her estranged sister had been interrupted, but somebody had been stupid enough carry out such a blatant act of thaumaturgical terrorism in _her_ territory. Driven by righteous fury, she had quickly located the cause of the problem with Archer's help, and if she had her way the idiot responsible would soon be unable to do anything but lie in bed for the rest of his life.

"Shinji, you idiot. What do you think you are doing?" Rin shouted as she followed Archer into the dojo where Lily had already engaged Rider.

"Toh-Tohsaka?" Shinji stuttered as he saw her enter with her servant. "Why aren't you unconscious like all the others?"

Rin frowned. Her pride had been smirched by an idiot like this?

"I am the 6th head of the Tohsaka family, Shinji," Rin said slowly. "Did you really think that I would be so pitiful a mage that I would not be able to control my own prana?"

"Wha-what? Rider, what's going on? Why isn't she affected?" Shinji cried out, so panicked that he couldn't hear what Rin was saying.

Ignored by Shinji, Rin's temper only grew worse. Turning to Archer, she gave him an order. "Archer, make sure that Rider doesn't interfere. I will take care of Shinji."

"Got it," Archer replied as he summoned his bow.

Outmatched in every way, Rider had been holding her own against Lily by means of keeping her distance and using the walls and ceilings like some crazed jumping spider as she attacked. She was in the midst of yet another acrobatic stunt when the first of Archer's arrows rocketed through the air towards her. It was only by a fluke that Rider was left unharmed as the chain she had been lashing at Lily scattered the concentrated salvo.

"Tch," Rider clicked her tongue in frustration as she tried to pull back, only to be cut off by Lily this time.

Had it been up to Rider, she would have escaped as soon as Lily entered the dojo. Her master however had ordered her to 'stop Saber', and the compulsion of the book he held meant that she could not disobey him without being crippled. Left with little choice, she had started to fight, but now she regretted not disobeying Shinji in the first place.

Rider checked her condition as she just barely dodged another strike from Lily. Her prana levels, while nowhere near full, had recovered enough that she could dare to use her eyes. She would have preferred to be able to summon her steed, but with the prana she had available that was a little too much to ask of her current master.

In the meantime, Rin had already started to make her way towards Shinji. The almost hysteric wannabe mage was wide-eyed as Rin strode towards him, crest shining with a blue light that matched the determined cerulean of her eyes.

"I-I'm not afraid of yo-you Tohsaka!" Shinji cried out, his shaky voice betraying his true feelings. "I can cast spells now! So stay back!"

Drawing upon Rider's prana through the Book of the False Attendant, Shinji cast the most powerful offensive spell that he could. Claws of shadows formed and scythed at Rin as Shinji waved his hand, but were easily brushed aside by Rin with just a simple burst of prana.

"Oh please, Matou," Rin grumbled. "You are disgracing your family's name if you think being able to use a mystic code makes you a mage. Especially if you can't even use it properly."

A large part of Rin's contempt came from the fact that the 'spell' that Shinji had just used had contained enough prana to be a threat to her if used correctly. The spell's construction was so poor however that Rin had been able to rip it apart just by blowing a bit of her prana into it.

"Ahhhhh! Tohsaka!"

Shinji lost it as Rin walked closer and closer, and began to toss out the shadow claws one after another. A sigh of disbelief escaped Rin as she saw that Shinji's hadn't learned from what he had just seen, and she dispelled the claws the same way each time until she got within one metre of the manic idiot, striking distance for her.

"Hyah!"

"Kuh!"

Shinji let out a strangled gasp as Rin's fist caught him in the stomach and lifted his entire body up into the air. Amazingly, he didn't let go of the book, and still had it in his hands as he fell onto his back, choking for air.

"Weakling," Rin said contemptuously. "Even Kirika takes a punch better than you."

Noticing the book, Rin guessed that this was the item responsible for Shinji being able to do what he had done, and she was about to take it from him when the air suddenly changed. An oppressive weight settled upon her, and when Rin turned around to see what had caused the change, she was immediately struck by a stiffness in her limbs that she hurriedly dispelled by awaking all her circuits.

"Petrification?" Rin whispered incredulously as she saw that Archer had been frozen in place, while Lily appeared to have been affected by the same lethargy that had affected her.

When she saw that Rider had taken off the band that covered her eyes, Rin realised who had done this, and her eyes became filled with alarm.

"Mystic eyes of petrification? That means..."

Standing before the suddenly much more threatening Rider, Lily shifted her shoulders as if to get rid of a stiffness in her muscles, then took a deep breath. When she breathed out again, a sudden wind began to blow through the dojo as she expelled prana in order to counter the effect of Rider's eyes.

"I never expected to see a legendary figure such as you here," Lily said with a smile as blue white lightning crackled across her armor, her prana reacting against the petrification. "How is it that you were summoned as a servant, Medusa?"

Seeing no reason to answer Lily's question, Rider merely crouched down lower in order to get a faster start to her peculiar movements. At the same time however, she seemed almost envious as she saw the prana that Lily was pouring out like water from a tap, sighing softly as she quickly glanced at Shinji who was still prostrate on the ground.

Rider knew that she had little chance in a drawn out battle. Her master was already disabled, and although Archer had been affected by her petrification, it looked as if he would soon be free of it as his master poured prana into him (not that she was jealous, of course she wasn't...). The best option for her then was to distract this white Saber and escape with her master. That seemed like it would be a little difficult with the way Saber was completely focused upon her, but it was the only real choice she had.

Mind made up, Rider threw one of her nails forward like a striking viper. The simple attack was easily foiled by Lily, but the attack had given Rider the initiative, which the acrobatic servant used to lash out at Archer's master with her other nail. This forced Lily to move to intercept the attack, and Rider used the slight opening that was created to capture Lily's leg with the chain that connected the two nails that were her weapons.

Lily's movements were instantly restricted as Rider pulled on the chain with her Monstrous Strength. Balance destroyed, Lily landed on her side as she tried as best as she could to resist the chain's grasp. This was no easy feat, as Lily's strength was not that high. Rider's strength was lower, but the Monstrous Strength that her identity as Medusa granted her allowed her to at least temporarily overpower Lily.

Driving one nail into the dojo floor, Rider darted forward and threw the other nail into the sturdy wooden support a little distance from her. By doing this she made it so that Lily could not move from her current spot without freeing her leg. It was only a temporary measure that could not last, but Rider judged it to be enough for her needs and was about to go to her 'master' when his voice sounded out across the room.

"Rider! S-stop at once!" Shinji wailed.

Rider turned her head, and frowned as she saw that Archer's master had pinned Shinji by the back with her foot. Her right hand had one finger pointed at Shinji's head, and Rider could feel that the prana gathered there was enough to smash apart Shinji's head like an over-ripe pumpkin.

Distracted by Shinji's predicament, Rider was just a little too late to respond to Lily's sudden attack. Rider's failure was due to the fact that she had underestimated the destructive power and speed that Lily's prana burst skill granted her. In one swipe, the white Saber class servant had severed the chain that bound her, and had used the momentum to dart forward and strike at Rider.

Rider's reflexes allowed her to survive the attack, but only just. Caliburn gauged a wide gash into Rider's stomach as she leapt back, and when the servant of the steed fell to the ground, it was clear that she wouldn't be getting back up again any time soon.

"Farewell, Rider," Lily said as she lifted Caliburn to finish off the other servant. "I wish you better luck next time."

Unable to move, Rider's fate was like a candle before the winds. There was a strange force at work in this Grail War however, which acted every time a servant was about to be retired. In this instance, Rider's salvation came in the form of a sudden tingling of Lily's senses. Whirling around, Lily was able to see a barrage of purple tinged arrows of light fly towards her and Rin. Her senses registered each of the arrows as a B rank offensive spell. Powerful enough to hurt her through her anti-magic which was slightly weaker than Saber's, and more than anything Rin could handle unprepared. Realising this, she dived at Rin, and managed to interpose her body in front of the arrows just in time to prevent Rin from getting hit.

The hits rocked her through her armor and inherent defence against spellcraft, sending her and Rin flying out into the practice yard. It hurt, but it wasn't enough to do more than slightly phase Lily. As soon she was sure Rin was safe Lily got back up, ready to hit back at whoever had ambushed them. Archer too was on guard, his petrification freed as Rider was disabled and his magic resistance worked away at the curse.

Contrary to Lily's expectations however, there was no new opponent. Instead, an empty space decorated by a pool of blood marked the place where Rider had lain, and a hazy picture of sorts had appeared in the air. Frowning at this strange turn of events, Lily looked at the picture, and as the image grew clearer she found herself letting out a gasp of disbelief.

"Saber? Kirika?"

"Sakura?" Rin cried out from beside her.

For in the picture, there stood a bloodied and battered Saber. Her once pristine silver armor was now dented and cracked, and her golden hair was matted red with blood. She stood in front of Kirika, clearly guarding the young mage who was worse off if anything. Across from them stood an unexpected gathering. Caster, whose robed figure Lily vaguely recognised from the night before, stood beside a tall man who against all odds appeared to have driven Saber into a corner if the blood on his gloves came from where she suspected it to come from. This was all the more shocking to Lily and Archer because if their suspicions were correct, the man was Caster's master. Rin on the other hand was shocked by the sight of Sakura standing at Caster's side, her hand on Rider as she cared for the servant's wound.

As Rin kept staring in disbelief, Sakura looked up. Their eyes met, and Rin saw that Sakura wore an expression of pain and indecision. Increasingly confused, Rin was about to ask what was going on when Shinji suddenly started to speak.

"It's her! This was all Sakura's doing!" He shouted, pointing at Sakura across the mystic window. "She told me to do it! I was only pretending to be Rider's master! She set up all of you along with Caster!"

Looking from Shinji back to Sakura, Rin was astonished to find that Sakura seemed agitated by the accusation. Carefully looking only at Rider, she did not meet Rin's eyes again, her face shadowed by newly apparent grief and shame.

"Sakura?" Rin called out. "Shinji's lying, right? You can't be Rider's master."

Even before Sakura raised her head, Rin knew that the evidence was against her. For Rider to have disappeared like that could only have meant that her master had used a command seal to order her back, and that could only mean...

"... I'm sorry, nee-san," Sakura said slowly with glistening eyes as the red started to fade from the world, signifying the collapse of the bounded field that had caused so much havoc. "Rider's master..."

Rin didn't want to hear it. She didn't want to accept such a reality. Not when she had been so close to getting her sister back. Time however stopped for none but a True Magician, and truth was a cruel mistress. Regardless of Rin's wishes, destiny moved on.

"... Is me," Sakura said with painful finality.

As Sakura smiled at her sadly, Rin felt herself go weak in distress. Both sisters were close to tears, but in this situation there was no time to make allowances for their pain.

-x-x-x-

When the bounded field around the school first activated, Sakura at first thought something had gone wrong with her eyes. It was with growing horror that she realised what had happened, the hellish color of the sky an unmistakeable sign that her servant's noble phantasm had gone to work.

When she had looked back at Rin, her sister had already begun to look around in order to try and figure out what was going on. It was only with great effort that Sakura stopped herself from telling Rin about Rider right then and there. The reason for her hesitation was the thought that if she did so, she would have to explain how she knew. This would inevitably reveal the fact that she had lied previously when she had told Rin that she wasn't involved in this Grail War. Not a very serious thing in itself, especially if she stopped Rider, but Rin's request to restore their relationship had temporarily removed Sakura's ability to think things through calmly. She was terrified of doing anything to upset Rin right now, afraid that any such move would shatter this tentative bond that she had dreamed of for years.

So it was with a complicated heart that she kept her silence as Rin and Archer consulted each other as to the cause and solution to the problem. Had she been able, Sakura would have ordered Rider to stop and go away so that she and Rin could continue their discussion, but she was too far away from Rider to overpower the Book of the False Attendant. If she was to restore her rights as a master, she would have to go and find Rider, but that would require her to go away from here. Not something she wanted to do before she could deliver her decision.

When Archer finished his analysis of the bounded field and informed Rin, Sakura was displeased to see that Rin appeared to only then remember about her. Jealousy filled her as she was reminded that Rin would place duty before her, even as common sense said that it was only to be expected. It could be that she had misinterpreted the look that Rin had given her then, but the following conversation had watered the growing doubt in her heart.

"Uh... Sakura? This won't take too long, but..." Rin had said apologetically.

"I don't mind, Rin," Sakura interrupted her with a warm smile that didn't match the turmoil in her heart. "Go take care of things. Just... Answer a question for me before you go."

"A question?" Rin blinked, then shrugged. "Of course. What is it?"

Sakura had taken a deep breath then, nervous as to how Rin might answer.

"Am I the most important person to you right now?" Sakura had asked, slightly red-faced due to the nature of the question.

Sakura's breath had hitched as she saw Rin freeze, as if the question had thrown her and required a second consideration in her head. When the answer did come, Sakura's anxious mind looked at every little thing, interpreting everything from the way that Rin looked at her to slight inflections in her voice to try and discern the truth behind the words.

"What are you talking about, Sakura?" Rin asked her with a amused chuckle. "Of course you are important. You are my sister. Now, just stay here and wait for me, okay?"

**Liar**, Sakura had thought then as Rin jumped over the side of the building with Archer. Liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar.

If she was so important, couldn't she wait just a little longer for her to come up with an answer? If Rin really cared, why was she leaving her here without anything to protect her? If the fact that she was her sister was so significant, why did Rin's eyes look so confused as she had spoken? And, if Rin was really serious about this...

... Why couldn't Rin tell her that she was the most important person in her life?

Sakura felt hot as she began to hyperventilate, her body responding to the disturbance in her heart. It was something that had become more common after her operation last night, but Sakura's familiarity with the symptoms that the Matou crest worms could cause meant that she was not really aware of this. She did however know that this was bad for her, especially with the bounded field leeching away at her energy like this.

Calming herself, Sakura began to think things through more even-handedly as her agitation settled down a little. It was going too far to say that Rin was a liar. The circumstances were bad after all, and it was not proper to ask Rin to be perfectly focused on the original topic when so many lives were at risk. She was also probably overthinking matters when it came to Rin's answer to the question. After all, if Rin respected Sakura's ability to resist the effects of this ward, there was no reason to suspect that Sakura would not be safe here when the only hostile servant was the one they had gone to face. It could be taken as a sign of confidence in her that she had left her here. The confusion in Rin's eyes could also have been because of the distraction from the situation. If she wanted to get a proper answer, she really should have asked the question at a proper time.

Explaining everything for herself, Sakura calmed her unsteady emotions, but was unable to let go of one niggling doubt.

Why hadn't Rin been able to tell her that she was the most important person to her? She was her only living direct relative wasn't she?

She was still going over that thought over and over again in her head when a loud crack split the air. Peering over the edge of the roof, Sakura was just in time to see one of Kirika's Saber's dive through the windows of the third floor while the white Saber charged towards the Archery dojo.

After seeing this, Sakura felt her head grow cold as she realised that Rider would soon be facing at least two servants. She had seen Rider after last night, and knew that there was no way that she could come out victorious in this situation, even within the bounds of the ward. She could also feel through their connection that she was still in the school grounds, presumably in the Archery dojo where Saber had gone. What was Shinji thinking? If he had any sense he would have moved from the spot as soon as the bounded field came up. Rider could absorb the gathered prana from anywhere within the ward, and it made no sense for him to stay where he was like that in Rider's weakened state.

Then again, if Shinji had any sense he wouldn't have activated the ward in the first place.

Thinking about what would happen soon, Sakura felt herself torn between two choices. One side of her screamed for her to just sit tight where she was. She had nothing more to gain from the Grail War, and once Shinji and Rider were gone there was nothing to keep her involved. Another side of her however reminded her about her servant, who since she had been summoned had obeyed her without a word, and had been a kindred soul in the few days before she had handed over mastery rights to Shinji. Sakura did not know why, but she felt a twinge in her heart as she thought about leaving her faithful servant to die. Could she really do that?

There was another, darker voice as well that whispered into her ears. Could she really afford to let Rin confront Shinji? This when there was a chance that he might reveal her secrets before he died. Didn't she need to go and make sure that if he died, he did so quietly?

Sakura's anxiety grew, until finally she could take it no longer. Unable to take the shortcut down to the field like Rin had, Sakura ran for the stairs in order to head for the place where Rider was. Whether to save her or to condemn her, not even she could know.

Almost as soon as her trip started however, she was forced to stop. Coming down to the third floor, she was startled to find there Emiya Kirika and her servant. Kirika was a mess with blood staining her tattered clothes and hair, the red colour vivid against her porcelain skin. Even in such a condition, Sakura couldn't help but think that Kirika attracted attention. Not because of her usual serene grace and warm inviting expression, but because of the fiery pride and stoic determination that Sakura could see in her eyes and the way that she carried herself.

**It's her**, the voice inside her head suddenly whispered. **She's why Rin couldn't say that you were the most important person to her.**

Sakura froze as an unexpected urge to hurt the girl in front of her rose up in her heart. The voice continued to whisper as well, feeding that black emotion. It said that if she got rid of Kirika, she would naturally become Rin's most important person. What better time was there than now when she was hurt so badly? Sure, the servant was there, but it couldn't be that hard to find an opportunity. All she had to do was tell her about Rider at the dojo, and convince Saber to let her take care of Kirika in the meantime.

As these thoughts flashed through her head, Sakura was suddenly brought back to reality as Kirika called out her name.

"Matou-chan?" the girl she admired and hated exclaimed softly.

"Emiya-san," Sakura murmured, uncertain as to how she felt right now.

Before Sakura could say anything else, a flash of light lit the corridor as Saber suddenly moved to intercept something. A loud explosion followed, the noise deafening her as the force of the blast knocked her painfully onto her backside. Distracted by the pain and made deaf, it was a while before Sakura noticed that Saber had begun to fight, and when she finally did she was startled to see who it was against.

"Kuzuki-sensei?" Sakura murmured in disbelief as she recognised her ethics teacher.

Sakura had known of the relationship between Kuzuki and Caster, recognising that they were master and servant when she confronted them for their one and only meeting. She had not however been able to sense anything from him that indicated he knew anything about thaumaturgy. Upon this evidence she had believed him to be a master that the Grail had picked out of a lack of candidates, with no useful skills to speak of as a combatant. In that case however, what in the world was she seeing now?

Hands covered by black leather gloves, Kuzuki-sensei was overwhelming Saber with a series of blows that managed to slip past Saber's defences like magic. Each hit impacted the slight servant's frame like a cannonshell, and Sakura could see the metal of Saber's breastplate actually cave in every time Kuzuki-sensei's fist hit it. With thaumaturgically reinforced steel giving way like this, it was no surprise that Saber herself was getting off worse. Already half her face was covered with blood, a deep gash on her brow pouring forth the red liquid.

"Saber, watch the back of your head!" Sakura heard Kirika cry out suddenly.

Sakura wondered what Kirika was talking about, but her curiosity was soon answered as she saw Kuzuki's hand suddenly change direction in mid-strike to strike at a spot completly different from the original target area. Kirika's warning had been just in time as Saber narrowly avoided a hammerblow to the weak area at the base of the skull. She still got clipped though, and was unable to recover in time to block another huge blow that finally broke through the stressed metal of her breastplate.

"Good afternoon dear," a feminine voice suddenly spoke from behind Sakura, startling her. "It's good that I found you."

"Caster-san?" Sakura wondered out loud as she recognised the speaker. "What are you doing here?"

"To make sure my master is safe of course," the robed woman replied. "Oh, and you need to hurry and retrieve Rider, dear. Your foolish brother had placed her into a situation that she can't get out of."

"Rider? But -," Sakura's voice cut out in a hiss of pain as she felt a burning sensation on her left hand. When she looked down she could see that her command seals had come to life again, and realised what had happened.

"Hurry dear," Caster told her in an insisting tone. "If you don't do something she's going to die."

Staring at the returned markings on her hand, Sakura struggled with her decision for a moment, wondering what was the best option here. Before she realised what she was doing however, she found herself issuing a command.

"As your master I order you, Rider. Appear before me!" she said hurriedly.

A weight that she hadn't known she had borne was lifted off Sakura's shoulders as Rider appeared in front of her in a cloud of glittering lights. The vague relief turned to worry however when Rider collapsed, a pool of blood forming around her almost immediately.

"Rider!" Sakura cried out as she knelt down beside her servant.

Sakura quickly wrenched open the connection between them as she put her hand on Rider. Casting a healing spell, she was surprised when much more prana than she was capable of supplying flowed down her circuits. She was wondering what was going on when a faint green light caught her attention. Looking down, she saw that it was coming from her pocket, and it was then that she remembered the stone that Kirika had given her.

"How interesting," Caster said as she came up to look. "Where did you obtain that stone in your pocket Sakura dear?"

Sakura had looked up as Caster came over, and now her eyes darted to the side as she was reminded of whos the stone's original owner had been. Caster followed that gaze, and let out a faint exclamation of surprise as she saw Kirika.

"My, my," Caster remarked as she looked the wounded master over. "So many interesting young woman these days."

The servant of the spell than stopped, frowning as she noticed something that made her lips curl into a delighted smile.

"Master, please stop there," Caster requested unexpectedly.

Waving a hand at the air, Caster summoned a strange hazy window of sorts. Sakura didn't pay it much attention at first, but when she took a second look she was horrified to find that Rin was looking at her from the other side of the window.

"Sakura?" she heard through the deafening silence in her head.

What to do? How to respond? Caught in a compromising situation for which there could be no satisfactory excuse, Sakura was on the verge of panic as Rin's expression slowly darkened. If the conversation earlier had been a dream, than this had to be nightmare.

Matters only became worse as Shinji suddenly spoke up, and Sakura felt in herself for the first time a deep wish to kill Shinji in the most painful way possible. Regardless of what Shinji's fate might be however, it was undeniable that his accusations had struck Rin deeply. Sakura felt her expression crumbling with pain as she saw the light of suspicion and doubt enter her sister's eyes. The wavering blue orbs asking of her the truth as to Shinji's words.

It would have been so easy here for Sakura to deny Shinji's accusations. Her conscience however prevented her from doing so. It had been her weakness that had allowed Shinji to demand mastery of Rider from her. It had been her plans that allowed Shinji to keep control of her servant, using him as a foil to keep herself safe and out of sight. It was also her lack of care that had led to Shinji going out of control like this. Had she remembered the fact that Shinji was liable to break under the stress of the war, she would have known to take back Rider's mastery as soon as possible. In that case, none of this would have happened. She would have been able to rejoin Rin as her family member with nothing to burden her but the scars upon her own soul and body. Now however her hands were stained with the blood of her classmates, teachers, and every other person who had been hurt or killed by the vampiric power of Rider's bounded field.

The guilt weighed upon her like the pressure of the dark depths, and Sakura realised that she could not deny the truth of the matter to try and life to Rin. Doing so would only make things worse.

"Sakura?" Rin called out to her. "Shinji's lying, right? You can't be Rider's master."

"... I'm sorry nee-san," Sakura replied quietly as tears of frustration and pain began to escape her rapidly crumbling control. "Rider's master..."

A tear dropped onto her hand as she bowed her head in shame and grief. To Sakura it looked like a drop of blood, one of many that stained her soul and body as the tears began to flow.

"... Is me," Sakura finished in a voice empty of emotion. The joy she had felt earlier that day had turned to ashes on her tongue, and the flicker of hope that she had woken up with was snuffed out with her words. Dark and empty now, the only emotion she felt in her heart was the heavy and painful weight of despair.


	5. Chapter 5

**5-1**

An endless world.

With no structures or geological features to bar the eye, the water covered surface that Kirika walked upon stretched out endlessly as far as she could see. Every step she took sent ripples across the thin layer of water that now sat motionlessly on the perfectly flat surface of this domain, but the mark they made was soon lost in the sheer vastness of this mysterious land.

Here and there, odd items rested that drew one's eye. A sword here, a stack of books over there, and a bed of wild flowers to the left of her that could have come out of any pasture. There was no sense or order to this chaotic arrangement, and to try and interpret it was to invite madness. Knowing this better than anyone, Kirika ignored the odds and ends that dotted the landscape as she continued to walk with no goal in mind but knowing she had to go somewhere.

A thought struck her though as she went in what she assumed to be a forward direction. There was no source of illumination here but for the faint star like lights in the dark sky, yet she could see perfectly. The realisation woke her memories, and for the first time Kirika was able to completely comprehend the fact that she was looking at her own mind.

"Wow," she mumbled as she looked around. "It's gotten a lot better than before, but still, what a mess."

Shaking her head in chagrin, Kirika wore a faint smile as she continued onwards. There was nothing she could do about the mess right now, or at least that's what her instincts told her. Something more was needed, a trigger that could change the world she perceived inside her own head. For some reason she thought that trigger might be related to the dark heavens above. There was just something about the starscape overhead that struck as being simply wrong. A change here felt like it could be the most natural thing in the world.

Eventually, Kirika found what she hadn't known she was looking for, her eyes lighting up as she spotted another figure in the distance. A stranger, at first she wondered why he looked so familiar, but soon realised that he looked remarkably similar to someone she had seen before.

Herself. Or rather, himself, as she had been a he the last time she had seen that face in a mirror.

Shirou, as Kirika named her apparent doppelganger in her head, stood silent before a pair of huge broken mirror shards, for lack of a better term. The two shards were each a different shape and they were showing different pictures inside their irregularly shaped surfaces, of which Shirou was only looking at one.

Within the screen, a land lay at peace. The faces of the common peoples were alive with smiles, and golden seas of grain filled the fields, but all was not well. Beneath the peaceful veneer, shadows of greed and hate were slowly spreading across the kingdom. Nowhere was this more evident than in the capital, where poisonous tongues spun their webs of intrigue, aiming to bring down the figure who blocked their dirty ambitions. In doing so they foolishly forgot that he was also the only thing that was holding this fragile kingdom together.

For a while, the corruption could not spread. Wiser than any of the greed-addled nobles, the grand mage that stood by the king's side turned all their plots against them. There were also those who had little skill in the crafting of poisonous words, but possessed souls bright enough to cower the darkness, even as they swung their swords to safeguard the kingdom. This gathering of the greatest knights of the realm effectively forbid all attempts by the greedy to try and seize what they wanted by force.

As time passed however, the forces that had sheltered the king from the daggers at his back grew weak or disappeared altogether. His greatest advisor, kidnapped and imprisoned by the fairies. His knights, some of whom were so disillusioned by his inhumanity that they left the court, and the rest, scattered to the winds in search of the cup that could grant all wishes. One by one, the king's allies disappeared, until finally only a few faithful followers remained in a court that had been suborned by his worst enemies.

Turning away from the grim picture of Saber sitting in a court filled with those who were eager to see her dead, Kirika looked to the screen that hung in the air across from this one.

In this window into the past, a much different memory was displayed. The beginning was the same, the land finally at rest after years of war. The kingdom celebrated the arrival of peace, and every town and village was filled with the joyful cheers of the people. In Camelot too, secure in the knowledge that at least for a time there were no threats on the horizon, the hall was filled with laughter as the guardians of the kingdom put down the heavy burdens of duty for a while.

All but one of them that was.

At the center of the hall, Arthur sat solemnly in strange contrast to his surroundings. His thoughts had turned to the night before the last battle, when he had rescued a babe from the flames, only to stand by helplessly as the infant died despite the best care the healers could offer. Though regretful, it was not something that he would normally have dwelt upon. Tragic deaths happened every day, and it was in order to prevent as many of them as possible that he had taken up the role as king. This time however, the images would not leave his head. He was constantly reminded of his helplessness to help the infant, and this led him to wonder.

How useful was he really if he could not even save an innocent life as it faded right before his eyes?

That first thought led to another, and before long he was wondering if he had been right to make the choices he had in leading the war against the kingdom's foes. It was all very well to abandon the few to save the many, but in doing so had he sacrificed something greater? How could the people believe in the kingdom if they held within their hearts the fear that maybe the next time, it would be them who were foregone? Could they believe in a king who made such decisions, when even he himself had begun to doubt?

The air around Arthur grew heavier as a pillar of his beliefs began to shake. So lost was he in his thoughts that he did not notice the fact that the feasting hall had become quiet, the only noise the music of the minstrels as they attempted to fill the sudden void. Knights who just moments ago had been roaring with laughter were now looking at each other and whispering. Their hushed conversations were not about any displeasure they might have felt at the king throwing cold water over their celebrations, but more around the sheer shock that many of them felt upon seeing him in such a state.

For many of them, it was the first time since they had sworn service to their lord that they had seen him display his emotions so openly. An occasional show of grief, or a brief moment of shared camaraderie on the battlefield, these things they had seen. Never before however had the king let himself be seen like this, vulnerable, mortal.

Just like the rest of them.

That first feast after the long years of war marked a turning point in the history of the isle. Some would say later that it was this moment that doomed the kingdom of Briton, the kingdom's fate sealed as its king abandoned perfection for human weakness. Indeed, there were many troubles for the land as Arthur began to regain his humanity. Not least of all the chaos that came about when Arthur gave up his mask to reveal her true self as Arturia. The fragile peace was shattered by this revelation as discontent nobles and vengeful enemies used her deception as an excuse for rebellion and war.

Through it all however, Arturia was happy. It was not to say that she didn't look back on her choices sometimes to wonder what might have happened had she kept going as she had. She had regrets, just like any other human, but she no longer had to shoulder such burdens alone. True friends and followers now stood at her side. A few of her knights had left after her divulgence, but most had stayed to swear fealty anew upon the banner of the lily she had adopted as a symbol of her new resolve. The only thing that she was remorseful about was the unnecessary pain that her subjects suffered due to her decision, but the people supported her, charmed by her looks and warmth.

And so, Briton's flame shone against the darkness of the age. All the brighter because of its precarious state.

The images stopped there, with Lily in the white and silver armor she had adopted as she reclaimed the name she had been born with. Looking at that picture Kirika was struck by how different the expressions the two versions of the same person were. In the other screen the image of Saber had her frozen with a look of absolute resolve on her face that awed Kirika even as it discomfited her due to the zeal it implied. Lily on the other hand looked relaxed but confident, a slight smile on her lips reflecting the mirth in her eyes as she laughed at some tale told by a knight at her side. In fact, she looked so comfortable that Kirika was led to wonder why Lily had been summoned. After all, the servants that the Grail called were those who had died with regrets. After seeing her story however Kirika did not feel that Lily had wanted to change anything in particular about her life. In that case, what was the wish that Lily hoped to be granted by appearing in this day and age? Was there something she did not know yet that had caused Lily to change her mind?

"You know, you are not supposed to be here," a voice interrupted her thoughts.

Surprised, Kirika turned around to see that her unexplained doppelganger had broken his silence to speak to her. He had been so quiet until now that she had almost forgotten about his presence, but now that he had spoken, she decided to ask that which she had wanted to ask ever since she saw him.

"Is that so? Then what about you? Who are you to say that I can't explore my own mind?" Kirika asked in a deliberately provocative tone.

'Shirou' raised an eyebrow, his honey coloured eyes that were a mirror to Kirika's own slightly peeved as he stared back at her.

"I'm you," he told her. "Or at least, who you were supposed to be."

This time it was Kirika's turn to raise an eyebrow. What did he mean by that? Her encounter with the Kaleidostick had changed her life, yes, but how could he say that he was her when... A possible explanation came to her, and Kirika looked at her alternate self with a complicated expression marring her finely shaped face.

"Don't you mean to say, you are what I could have been?" she asked 'Shirou', somehow knowing that this was the right answer.

'Shirou' frowned at that, as if offended by the suggestion. From his silence however Kirika could tell that she had been right in her guess, as no version of her that called themselves Emiya would offer up a lie when it came to such important a question.

"In another world, yes," he finally admitted. "I'm not so sure about the mechanics myself, but the possibility was always there, just beyond the boundary between this world and the one next door."

"So, you are not me?" Kirika asked, a little slow when it came to comprehending what was being said.

"No, I am you," Shirou replied. "Just not Emiya Kirika, just as you are me, but not Emiya Shirou."

"... I don't get it," Kirika admitted. "What is it that you are trying to say?"

"Nothing really," Shirou sighed. "I just wanted to make myself known when I could. So that you know that I was here. So that you remember when the time comes."

"When the time comes?" Kirika frowned. "What time is that?"

"You will know soon enough," Shirou said with a shrug. "Cracks have started to appear already, so it won't be too long before you find out."

"Cracks?" Kirika asked, wondering why this self-proclaimed 'self' of hers was speaking so cryptically.

In this case however, it appeared he had been speaking literally, as he pointed up at the sky at something. Following his finger, Kirika looked up at the dark sky, and was surprised to see that there were indeed cracks in the starlit void that covered the heavens.

"... What is that?" Kirika muttered.

"Don't ask me," Shirou grumbled as he stood up. "All I know is that when those cracks spread, something is going to happen. So be ready for that, and remember me would you?"

Leaving that message, 'Shirou' began to walk off. Still confused by many things, Kirika would have followed him, but was unable to as the world began to fade. The last thing she saw before everything turned black was 'Shirou' walking off into the distance, a lonely figure amidst the crazed garden of items that was her mind.

-x-x-x-

She was waking up at night a lot these days, Kirika thought as she sat up on her bed.

She was still confused by the strange conversation she had exchanged with... Herself? If this continued she was going to be a good candidate for the loony bin. How could he/she know things that he/she didn't know himself/herself? Ack, now the language that was needed to describe the situation was giving her a headache too.

Distracted by her surreal experience, it was a while before Kirika remembered what had happened earlier that day. When she did, it was with great astonishment that she realised that her body was completely healed. The damage she had taken hadn't been light, and she was actually surprised that she had been able to wake up like this at all. Moreover, there weren't even any bruises she could see, telling her again that somebody had gone to great trouble to take care of her. She wondered if that person had been Rin. The last thing she remembered had been the explosion, and so she had no idea what had happened next. Judging by the fact that she was alive though, they must have been successful to a degree at least.

Getting out of the bed, Kirika changed from the pyjamas that had been put on her into a casual outfit composed of a pair of jeans and a loose white cotton shirt. All done, she was about to go out when her image in the mirror stopped her.

Turning on the lights to take a closer look, Kirika flinched as she saw the damage that had been done to her hair. The lustrous copper strands that had fallen down nearly to her waist had been truncated near her neck, leaving only two tails that fell down around her ears. The cut hadn't been smooth either, the uneven fringe betraying how roughly she had hacked it away. Her hairdresser would have fainted had she seen it, and Kirika herself was a little gutted as well after five years of having the importance of hair care pounded into her. When she thought about that, Kirika immediately felt as if a heavy weight had struck her, both because of how thoroughly she had been brainwashed and because of the dread she felt at the thought of the fuss that Rin was going to make.

Regretful, but what was done was done. Recovering completely Kirika decided that she needed to at least even her hair out if she was going to be fit to be seen in public. Getting out a pair of scissors, she went to work, and soon enough she had tidied it up to her satisfaction. The hair at the back of her head now tapered into a slight point where it fell down just below the base of her neck, and the two tails at the sides were left alone. Rin was going to be annoyed enough already, and she didn't need to add to that by cutting off what longer strands she had left. Besides, it didn't actually look too bad.

Decent now, Kirika opened the door and headed for the lounge to see if anyone was there. Rin had taken to spending the nights in the lounge recently as everyone gathered to go over the day's events. As she only went to her room to sleep, Kirika figured that she would find her friend and mentor there as usual.

Contrary to her expectations, Kirika was surprised to find that only Saber was in the lounge, with no sign of Rin or the other two servants anywhere nearby.

"Kirika?" Saber said as she spotted her. "Is it okay for you to be up and about?"

"I'm fine, see?" Kirika replied cheerfully as she swung her arms about as a demonstration of her fitness. "Not even any bruises anywhere. Looks like I'll have to apologise to Rin for making her take care of me again."

Saber looked at Kirika dubiously at this claim, and blinked as she saw that it was true.

"That's odd," she told Kirika. "Rin did tend to your wounds, but the marks were still there when we put you into bed. Do you possess a healing artifact of some sort?"

Kirika tilted her head. "Really? That's strange. I don't have anything of the sort. I thought that Rin had healed me."

Saber's face became grim.

"I'm afraid Rin was too shocked to do that," Saber told her. "She retained enough of her spirit to heal your wounds and mine, but she went straight into her room afterwards and has stayed there since."

"What?" Kirika looked Saber up and down. "You were wounded? Rin? What happened after I fell unconscious?"

Saber proceeded to tell her about the events of that afternoon, sheepish when she mentioned how she had been driven into a corner by Kuzuki, and sad as she detailed Caster's intervention and Sakura's confession.

"Wait," Kirika stopped Saber in order to absorb the shocks that had come one after another. "So you are saying that Sakura was Rider's master all along, as well as being Caster's ally, and that they basically challenged Rin to battle? Matou Sakura? "

Saber nodded. "To be precise Caster invited Rin to come to the temple if she wanted to talk more, but as you well know, the temple is firmly under her control."

"Yes, and after last time Caster is bound to have strengthened her defences," Kirika felt a headache growing as she thought about it. "Seeing as Lily nearly lost one on one with Assassin, I don't see us getting inside very easily."

The mood in the lounge grew gloomy as the two of them realised that there was no easy solution to this problem. There was the option of using Saber's Excalibur in order to blow through the defences with brute force, but upon discussion they had ruled out its use due to its flashiness and the presence of people upon the mountain. The question of what to do about Caster had actually been something that they planned to discuss tonight with Rin and Archer. With Rin all depressed like that though, it didn't look as if they would be making any plans tonight.

Thinking of Rin, Kirika realised she had something to do.

"Saber, is there anything more that I need to know?" she asked her servant.

"No, that's everything Kirika," Saber replied as she looked at Kirika with her green eyes. "Archer and Lily are outside keeping watch, but that's everything."

"Okay, in that case I think I will go talk to Rin," Kirika notified Saber. "I will be in her room if you need anything."

"Very well," Saber stood up. "Take care of her Kirika. Rin looked quite bad when she went up to her room."

"Don't worry, I will," said Kirika before she stopped at the door to the lounge. "Oh, I almost forgot. It's good to see that you finally kept your promise."

"Promise?" Saber mumbled, confused. "What promise?"

"You promised to call me Kirika, remember?" Kirika told her. "Keep it up."

Only just realising that she had been calling Kirika by name since the conversation started, Saber's face went red as Kirika ducked out of the lounge in order to go to Rin's side.

-x-x-x-

Knock, knock.

"Rin? Can I come in?" Kirika asked through the closed door.

No answer. It looked like Rin was worse off than Kirika had thought. Not too strange under the circumstances. If Saber's version of events had been correct, Rin had just had her hopes of regaining a family member dashed by the very person she had sought to reunite with. Though Rin was far more mature than many people her age, she was still only a teenager. Kirika would have been more surprised had Rin not been affected by the revelation.

"Rin? Are you awake?" Kirika tried again.

"Go away Kirika," a muffled reply came. "I want to be alone for now."

Tired and lifeless, it was not the Rin that Kirika knew that replied to her question. Stepping back from the door, Kirika considered what to do next. There were really only two choices. Ignore Rin's wishes and go in, or leave her alone as had been requested. If she did go away now though, it was obvious that Rin would spend a sleepless night agonising over what had happened. Her tendency to try and keep all her problems to herself made sure of that. This habit of Rin's was a byproduct of her childhood years, where she had been forced to make all her decisions for herself in the absence of any reliable adults. Kirei didn't count here, as no one who knew the man would ever willingly go to him for advice.

Hmm? Wait a moment. Who else did they know who they could go to for advice? Taiga was out by default, and... And... Grandpa Raiga? The manager at the shop where she worked part-time?

Kirika made a mental note to herself that as soon as the Grail War was over, she would have to make some more friends, or at least acquaintances. Having no one to turn to for advice except for Kirei wasn't something that a human could be proud of.

Anyways, while Rin would be alright even if she left her, as her best friend and apprentice Kirika could not tolerate her being in unnecessary pain. Kirika knew from experience that in times like this it helped to be in the company of others, if only to feel another person's warmth.

"I'm going in, Rin," Kirika told Rin as she made up her mind.

Putting her hand on the handle, Kirika found that it was locked as she had expected. Closing her eyes, she looked inside herself to find her circuits, and whispered the phrase that would activate them.

"Trace, on."

_Error - Parameter conflict. Mental dissonance at 18 per cent. Error - Concept misalignment._

Kirika let out an involuntary gasp as a stab of pain struck her, like an icicle being driven into her spine. Pain she had expected, as the act of opening her circuits using the training method Kiritsugu had passed on was peculiar that way. This time however the pain was worse than usual, and she almost lost control of her suddenly rampaging circuits before she forced them back under control.

"Ugh," Kirika groaned as she tasted blood in her mouth. "Must not be fully healed yet."

Blaming the damage she had taken earlier that day, Kirika forgot about the pain and concentrated on the metal construct under her hands. Analysing the structure, she was surprised by how much faster it seemed to go. This was true even when she ran through all the possible tumbler combinations for the ones that would open the door.

Letting herself into the room she often shared with Rin, Kirika closed the door behind her and made her way to the bed. She was able to see that Rin truly had been affected by this incident, as she had crawled into bed without even changing her clothes. For Rin this was highly unusual, as she stuck rigidly to the Tohsaka family motto of doing everything elegantly, and going to bed with your clothes on was anything but elegant.

"I told you not to come in," Rin grumbled as Kirika drew near. She had her face turned away from the door and did not bother to turn around to look at Kirika.

"As if I could leave you alone like this, dummy," Kirika griped as she climbed onto the king sized bed to rest next to Rin. Supporting her upper body with one arm, she sat on her left side as she began to stroke Rin's soft black hair with her right hand.

"Stop it," Rin told her, but Kirika ignored the half-hearted protest and continued to slowly run her hand across Rin's head. After a while, Rin sighed, and Kirika could feel Rin's body go limp as she allowed herself to relax.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, saying nothing but taking comfort in the other's presence after the tough ordeals of the day. Both of them had spent a portion of their childhood alone, with few people to turn to, and at moments like this they were reminded how wonderful it was to have someone next to you that could share in your emotions.

"You know," Rin broke the silence. "I wonder if this is all my fault."

Kirika said nothing, and let her continue. It was best for Rin to get everything out right now.

"I should never have left Sakura alone for all these years," Rin said despondently. "When I was younger I tried to go see her every once in a while, but the adults always stopped me. They said that I shouldn't disturb her so that she could settle into her new family, that she would only be sad if I was to appear before her. I guess it must have stuck, because I stopped trying after a while."

Rin curled further into herself, and the air around her grew darker as she sank deeper into her memories of the past.

"The first time I saw her after she was taken by the Matous was in junior high," said Rin. "When I first spotted her I nearly dropped everything to run to her. Actually, I think I would have if Shinji hadn't appeared then to drag her away." There was the sound of grating teeth, and Kirika began to stroke Rin's head again to calm her sudden anger. "Now that I think about it, Shinji must have known about what that old monster was doing to Sakura. She was cold back then too. So different from the Sakura that I remembered. That's probably why I kept my distance from her initially. I couldn't put together that emotionless doll of the Matous with the Sakura in my memories who always had a smile on her face."

Rin let out a heavy sigh, as if she deeply regretted her actions back then.

"That change should have told me that something was wrong. That I needed to find out just why Sakura had become like that," Rin said quietly. "Instead, I just looked the other way and told myself that she wasn't my sister any more. Typical me isn't it? Always messing up at the most important time. I can't believe it took me so long to discover what they were doing to her. Do you know what I found at the Matou mansion, Kirika? A torture room. That's the only thing you can call it. They were taking her down there so that their bugs could feed on her. They were feeding her to insects every day and I didn't do anything about it!"

As she got to the end of her tirade, Rin rolled around so that she now looked up at Kirika's face. There were tears of frustration and rage in her eyes, and Kirika tenderly wiped them away with her thumb as she caressed Rin's face to comfort her.

"You couldn't have known, Rin. So don't blame yourself," Kirika finally spoke. "You are the one who told me that mages do not attempt to find out about each other without good reason, and you are too good a mage to disobey your own teachings."

"Sakura's my sister," Rin insisted. "What better reason could I have for looking into the Matou's affairs? I messed up Kirika. I ruined her life."

Kirika sighed and raised up Rin's body so that she was now hugging her from behind. Wrapping her arms around Rin's slender waist, Kirika rested her head on Rin's shoulder so that her lips brushed against Rin's ear.

"It wasn't your fault Rin. The only ones to blame here are the Matous," Kirika counselled her depressed friend and mentor.

"Really?" Rin asked bitterly. "It doesn't look like Sakura agrees with you. If she doesn't blame me, than why did she decide to join Caster?"

Kirika paused to think about Rin's question. She had thought that strange when she heard about it from Saber. She trusted in her senses, and to her instincts Sakura's eyes hadn't been those of a vengeful spirit. If anything, the emotion in those eyes as she had looked at Rin had been one of longing.

"Are you sure about that?" Kirika asked Rin back. "If she was taken advantage of by the Matous like you said, I wouldn't be too surprised to find that she was forced to participate in the Grail War. She is the last mage they have isn't she? I mean, Shinji couldn't summon a servant in a million years, and that naturally means Sakura was their only candidate. As for her alliance with Caster... Did she actually say that she wanted to fight you? Or are you just interpreting the situation as you saw it? I don't know myself, so I can't say anything about what happened, but Sakura didn't look like someone who was after vengeance."

There was only the sound of the ticking clock in the room as Rin thought back to the situation at the school. Kirika kept quiet in order to let Rin think, and took a moment to enjoy Rin's warmth as she leaned her body against her friend's.

"Now that you mention it, I never did get to hear any explanations from Sakura," Rin said with a hint of her usual energy in her voice. "She disappeared too quickly for that."

Kirika smiled. Her job was almost done, Rin could take it from here herself.

"See?" Kirika told Rin. "Before you start judging yourself, have a proper conversation with Sakura. I'm sure that you can work things out between you two."

"You are right," Rin admitted amusedly. "Now, the only question is how to arrange such a talk with her. If she's with Caster, they are going to be holed up at the mountain. With three servants there it's going to be a hard nut to crack."

"Why not just do what you usually do, Rin?" Kirika said in a cheeky tone. "I mean, since when have you cared about making plans and all? Just charge in there and drag her out."

She must have gone a little far with her teasing, because Rin stiffened in her arms and turned around to stare at Kirika.

"Kirika," Rin said with an uncomfortably familiar beatific smile. "Are you saying that I'm an idiot who only knows how to charge at a foe?"

"Huh?" Kirika was frozen like a frog in front of a snake. "When did I say that? All I said was that your plans all end in a charge anyway - hup!"

Kirika realised she had babbled and shut herself up, but too late to avoid Rin's retribution.

"Hoh?" Rin smiled pleasantly as she grabbed hold of Kirika's cheeks. "So, I'm a brute am I? A violent maniac? Is it this naughty mouth that's saying these things about me? And while we are at it, what did you do to your hair?"

"Muuuu, Riiin," Kirika's words were mumbled as Rin pulled at the soft skin of her cheeks hard enough to cause pain.

"Hah," Rin sighed and let go off Kirika's cheeks. She looked on with a warm look in her eyes as Kirika muttered under her breath and rubbed at her red cheeks. Then, as Kirika was about to stand up, she suddenly leaned forward and lightly touched her lips against Kirika's.

The contact was so sudden that for a moment Kirika didn't realise what had happened. It was only when she saw Rin's brilliant blue eyes right in front of hers and felt something moist run across her lips that Kirika scrambled back, not realising that she had run out of space on the bed to move on.

With a loud thump, Kirika fell onto the carpeted floor. Abandoned, Rin stared on blankly for a while before she began chuckling at Kirika's antics as the other girl rubbed her hip where she had fallen on it.

"It's not funny, Rin!" Kirika protested with a red face. "What was that?"

Rin smiled as she looked at Kirika out of the corner of her eyes. An oddly seductive gesture Kirika thought.

"I don't know," Rin said as she leaned back on the bed. "What do you think it was Kirika?"

Kirika sighed. It was nice to see that Rin's spirits appeared to have been revived, but it was so typical of Rin to tease her like this as soon as she came out of her mood.

"Whatever, Rin," Kirika said as she shook her head in resigned acceptance. "I'm going to make dinner so come out after you've changed and washed up. You haven't eaten yet have you?"

Rin shook her head to head to say that, no, she hadn't. Kirika nodded at that, and left the room, smiling in satisfaction at having cheered Rin up.

Back in the room, Rin stayed unmoving on the bed as she ran her fingertip across her lips. She had acted playful, but she herself had no idea what had happened just now. Her kiss had initially been intended to be just a light peck to lift the mood, but as soon as their lips had touched she had stopped thinking and let her body do as it wished. If Kirika hadn't broken free of her daze to move away when she had...

"Hah... Hah..." Rin let out a hollow laugh as she realised what she had almost done. "Mum, dad? Sorry, but I think your daughter might be bi-sexual."

Having said that to her parents in heaven in a moment of weakness, Rin immediately regretted ever giving voice to such a thing and clutched her head in shame.

-x-x-x-

"La-di-da-di-da~."

Kirika was moving busily about the kitchen as she got out the things she needed to make dinner. After setting out all the tools, she went over to the fridge to retrieve the ingredients. When she opened the fridge door however, she suddenly stopped, her eyes going blank for a second before she blinked and shook her head.

"Hmmm, no eggs," Kirika said to herself as she closed the fridge door. "Looks like I will have to go and get some."

Going back to her room, Kirika pocketed her wallet and went back down. She was headed for the door when Saber spotted her and called out to her.

"Kirika? Where are you going?" Saber questioned as she wondered over.

"Just going out to get some eggs," Kirika told her. "The shop's just down the street and... I'm in trouble again, aren't I?"

Arms crossed, Saber was tapping her foot as she glared angrily at Kirika.

"Ki-ri-ka," Saber slowly pronounced each syllable of her name. "Are you saying that you were about to go out alone? Without even mentioning anything to anyone?"

"Sorry!" Kirika apologised as she bowed her head. "Uhm... Do you want to tag along?"

"Master!" Saber's returned to her more formal form of address for Kirika as she lost her temper. "Caster could be spying on us even as we speak! You can't just wander out at this time of day to -."

"I'm making Frittatas," Kirika appealed to Saber's appetite to avoid the lecture that was coming. "Eggs, mushrooms, and potatoes, topped with my special sauce!"

"... Ahem. I suppose it would be okay if I came along," Saber suddenly changed tack.

"Great," Kirika straightened up. "Let's go then. The sooner we get there the sooner we can get back."

With a slightly reluctant Saber in tow, Kirika led the way out, and spotted Lily standing out in the garden amidst the flower beds.

"Kirika?" Lily called out as she saw them. "Are you going out?"

Kirika nodded. "Just to the shop down the road to buy some eggs. Saber's coming with me so you don't need to worry."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Bribed with food again were we Saber?"

Saber bristled at the insinuation, all the more because it was true. "I was not! I'm just following Kirika to keep her safe!"

"Really?" Lily smiled and looked to Kirika. "In that case Kirika, can you give me double servings of whatever you are making? Saber here doesn't seem to need it."

"Lily!" Saber quickly jumped in as her share was threatened. "Just because I wasn't bribed, doesn't mean I don't want my fair share."

"Relax, Saber," Kirika chuckled. "Everybody's going to get the same amount. Lily's playing with you."

Back to her senses, Saber realised this to be true and blushed at how easily she had been shaken. It bore thinking on. She was far too relaxed lately and this was just another sign of that.

"We will be back in a bit Lily," Kirika told Lily as she headed for the gate. "Do you want anything from the store?"

Lily's eyes flashed. "Buy some more of those chocolate biscuits please. There aren't any more in the cupboard."

Kirika stopped, and turned around with a frown on her face. "None? But there were six packets!"

Lily suddenly looked busy as she muttered something about needing to check for possible familiars, and Saber began to whistle an unfamiliar tune. Realising what this meant, Kirika wondered just what was with the servants that she and Rin had summoned. One was the heroic spirit of cooking, and hers were supposedly versions of the King of Knights, but from their behaviour at home they seemed more akin to kings of the dinner table.

-x-x-x-

A few minutes had passed since Kirika and Saber went out when Archer suddenly appeared next to Lily. She had felt him coming and so was not surprised, but did note that he seemed a little worried about something.

"Lily," Archer called her before she could comment on the fact. "Have you seen Kirika and Saber? They are not in the house."

"Those two?" Lily relaxed as it wasn't anything serious. "They went out to the store to buy some eggs. They should be back soon."

Archer appeared to accept that, but then suddenly stiffened as he spun back to look at her.

"Did you say that they went out to buy eggs?" he asked her quickly.

"Yes," Lily replied. "Why?"

Archer's frown deepened. "Because there are plenty of eggs in the fridge. How could Kirika have missed them?"

Lily's eyes went wide at the implications of Archer's question. The Kirika that she had seen over the last few days was familiar enough with the kitchen that it was hard to imagine that she would miss something so basic. In that case-

"Hah-!" Lily suddenly gasped and fell to her knees.

"Lily?" Archer quickly bent down to support her. "What's wrong?"

"Kirika," Lily whispered, her voice suddenly weak. "I can't feel Kirika anymore."

Archer's eyes went wide as the worst case scenario in his head was realised. He quickly went back into the house to fetch Rin, and together with Lily they went out in search of Kirika and Saber. When they reached the scene of the problem however, the only person they found was Saber, kneeling on the ground as she screamed out her rage at not being able to protect her master.

**5-2**

Regrets were funny things.

They never came fast enough to be of any help, and once they arrived you could never get rid of them. Time could make them fade, but it could also make them stronger. In the end however, the sum of your regrets was what determined how satisfied you were with your life.

Rider's deepest regret had its origins in the distant past, during the age of gods in Greece. As the youngest of three sisters, Medusa was also the only one among them who was not fully divine. This 'imperfection' however gave her the strength to defend her sisters when the jealous goddesses of Olympus turned their worshippers against them. Growing older and stronger with the years as was the privilege of those who were bound by time, Medusa's power grew with every life she took from the lust-driven hordes that landed upon her isle.

All gods however are but personifications of the collective wishes and beliefs of humanity. As Medusa's power grew, so did her infamy. Together with the bloodlust that she had come to enjoy, her monstrous legend began to corrupt her very being, until finally...

A monster was born.

When her sisters realised what had happened, it was already too late. Medusa had lost the ability to reason, and now existed only to slaughter and ingest the pitiful fools who ventured upon the isle. Seeing their sister in this pitiful condition, the two older sisters realised that they were the reason for Medusa's fall. Had Medusa not felt it to be her duty to protect them, she would not have had to stain her hands in blood. It was already too late to turn her back, but they did not wish to see her live out the rest of her days lost in savagery. With the gods of Olympus against them however, there was only one way that they could see to stop humans from being drawn to the island like moths to a flame.

They would have to disappear.

Making up their minds, they decided to disappear in the manner they thought most fitting. Going before their younger sister, the two goddesses asked her to eat them, and by doing so give up her bloodlust. Their appeal however fell on deaf ears, and in one short moment, the beast consumed them. It was only years later, when the legend of the Gorgons had become one of absolute terror, that Medusa had a chance to grieve her loss. In her dying moments, memories unlocked from her bloodlust by Kibisis, Medusa remembered her sisters, and wished to spend time with them again. An extension of those precious days, when all three of them had lived together as one happy family.

-x-x-x-

Sakura woke up from her short nap with a gloomier state of mind than she had when she closed her eyes. She knew enough about the connection between Master and Servant that what she had seen was Rider's past, and could sympathise with the cruel fate that had been forced upon Rider and her sisters. The parallels that existed between the story and her own possible future however were uncomfortable ones, and Sakura dearly hoped that the dream had not been a premonition of things to come.

A stir of motion at the corner of her eyes attracted her attention, and Sakura turned to see that Rider and Caster had returned from their trip to... What was Emiya-san doing here?

"Emiya-san?" Sakura called out before she realised that Kirika was acting strangely. "Caster-san? Didn't you say that you were going to set surveillance wards around the Tohsaka estate? How did you manage to bring Emiya-sempai back with you?"

"This, dear?" Caster said with a mischievous smile as she caressed Kirika's cheek with a gloved hand. "She was an unexpected catch. I tried a simple charm to lure her out, and it worked much better than I hoped. It was somewhat surprising that a doll of such potential could be so weak against charms, but it's fortunate for us don't you think so dear?"

Caster tickled Kirika's face with a coppery braid of some sort that she held in her other hand. The threads that had gone into its making bore a close resemblance to Kirika's hair, which was no surprise since it actually was Kirika's. Caster had acquired the hair that Kirika had cut off during her short but fierce duel with Kuzuki, and had used them in the charm. One familiar with the different schools of thaumaturgy might have asked her how Caster could use such an item to influence Kirika, since sympathetic magic was not a widely practiced art in the west during Caster's time. The answer to this question lay in Caster's original summoner. Among the belongings Caster had retrieved after her escape from bondage had been all his thaumaturgical tools, among which had been tomes on the Eastern mysteries. Together with Caster's A rank magic item crafting ability, this knowledge had allowed caster to create this braid which had allowed her to control Kirika's movements to a degree.

Seeing that Caster seemed very pleased with herself, Sakura wondered why the servant had simply kidnapped the young magus instead of doing away with her. Sakura herself was shamefully divided on the issue. Half of her said that as Caster's ally, any harm done to Kirika and Rin would be on her hands as well. Her other half however said that any decision by Caster's was Caster's alone, and that she was in no way to blame for it. The seductive voice that whispered these dark thoughts to her head was strong now as Sakura looked at Kirika, and it took Rider stepping in front of her to break Sakura free of the debate going on inside her head.

"Welcome back Rider," Sakura greeted her servant. "You weren't hurt were you?"

"I'm fine Sakura," Rider replied before she signaled for Sakura to come with her.

Still busy examining Kirika, Caster did not appear to pay any attention to the two of them as they walked a short distance away to where they could not be overheard by Caster.

"What is it Rider?" Sakura asked when they stopped.

"It's about Caster," Rider told her, whispering so that Sakura could barely hear her. "From now on, please avoid being around her unless I am with you. Her noble phantasm allows her to cut the bond between master and servant, so it's possible that she might try and steal your right of command over me."

That piece of news took Sakura by surprise. She had been suspicious of Caster's willingness to work with them since the beginning, but had put it down to the challenges posed by Berserker and the Tohsaka alliance. If she had such a noble phantasm however, it explained a lot about Caster's confidence in allowing them into her territory. Why not make an alliance when you could steal away the servant from your 'ally' any time you wished? Perhaps it would be better if she just acted first. No, but in that case she had to... but, Caster hadn't done anything to warrant her suspicion, had she? Still... Caster was the 'Witch of Betrayal' so it wouldn't be out of character for her to... The risk was too high. She needed to...

"Sakura dear, do you have a moment? I must begin the arrangements to meet our guests and I could use your help."

Caster's voice caught Sakura just as she was about to descend into a spiral of doubt and suspicion. The Greek witch had Kirika leaned against her shoulder as she waved at Sakura, and to all eyes looked and sounded like a kindly neighbourhood wife or teacher with a request they needed fulfilled. Sakura's renewed doubts however distorted this image to show the shadow of a gleefully devious spider as it beckoned its prey into its web.

"Of course, Caster-san," Sakura replied after a slight hesitation. "Rider, carry Emiya-sempai for Caster would you. I'm sure with your height that it would be a lot easier for you to carry her than it would be for Caster-san."

"Yes Sakura," Rider replied in the monotone voice which she did not normally use in Sakura's presence. It was hard to tell behind her eye-mask but she looked a little depressed as well.

It was a good effort at a natural bearing, but Caster's instincts had been horned by years of necessity and did not miss the quickly covered light of suspicion in the girl's eyes. It was a sight she had seen many times before, most often the first hint she had that her latest acquaintances were beginning to reconsider her presence in their midst.

A wry smile threatened to twist her lips as Caster considered how her fate did not seem to have changed at all though nearly 3000 years had passed, but was suppressed as the composure that had saved her life countless times imposed itself. It mattered little for now what the girl had begun to think. Sakura was not stupid, and would not risk the destruction of their alliance when they had so many formidable opponents arrayed against them. She would have to begin to prepare some safeguards, but for now the specter of betrayal was a bridge to be crossed when she came to it.

"Good, Sakura," Caster said haughtily as she fell into the role of Sakura's mentor. "I see that you are beginning to learn."

"Learn what, Caster-san?" Sakura asked as they left the temple and went through the entrance of Caster's workshop.

"About life dear," Caster replied with a devious smile on her lips and embers of a bitter anger in her heart. "The first reality of which you are now beginning to grasp, is that you should not fully trust _anyone_."

With that disheartening lesson in the cruelty of the universe, the four of them disappeared into the darkness of the passageway between the temple and the grand workshop that lay in a space of Caster's creation.

-x-x-x-

"Looks quiet. Should I start?"

Archer's face was grim as he addressed Rin, and the young mage's expression was not much better as they considered their options from atop an apartment building.

Saber and Lily were nowhere to be seen, the two servants effectively unconscious in their rooms as they tried to conserve their energy for the inevitable fight to come. Bereft of the link to their master both servants had been about to fade out of existence. Only some very quick work from Rin and the stock of gems that Kirika had charged with her prana had kept them on this plane in a state where they could be any help. As it was, Rin now had two additional burdens on her prana, and even then the gems that Kirika had left would only last them for three days, or one battle if things got too hot.

"The bird's reached the mountain," Rin finally told Archer. "You said you could reach them from here right?"

Located about two kilometres away from Mt Enzou, it was difficult for even Rin to accept that one could reach out across that distance with a bow and arrow. Yet Archer looked supremely confident as he gauged the distance with a crafter's eye, and his master was once again reminded that to judge a servant by the standards of humanity was an exercise in futility.

"Any suggestions on the target, Rin?" Archer asked as he flexed his hand.

Rin nodded, "Assassin is supposedly guarding the entrance to the temple, so target that and see what happens."

"You want me to blow up the temple gate?" Archer said incredulously.

"It's just the gate, Archer," Rin replied firmly. "Normally I wouldn't condone such an act but getting Kirika out of there is the first priority. As long as we make sure we don't hit any civilians we can get Kirei to cover things up."

Archer still looked at her dubiously, "... So that makes it okay to destroy a part of a national heritage site?"

"Archer!"

"Alright, alright," Archer put his hands up in a sign of surrender. "Hit the gate and see what happens? Ought to be interesting."

Two point two kilometres horizontally, difference in altitude of forty-three metres, and a slight breeze coming in from the sea. Archer carefully judged the amount of power he needed to put into his shots as he summoned his trusty black bow into his hand.

When he released the first arrow, it was as if somebody had fired a missile across the night sky. The prana infused projectile was a bright spark against the darkness as it sped towards its target, and Rin was able to track it until it disappeared into the trees around the temple. She was unable to see the impact, but she imagined that she heard a sharp crack around the time that it should have hit.

A second and third shots followed the first in quick succession as Archer found his range. This time Rin actually saw a flash near the top of the mountain when the arrows arrived, the light a byproduct of the prana being released by way of explosive force. Archer lowered his bow then, and focused his eyes on the distant mountain. The range was far too great for Rin to see anything in the darkness, but there must not have been any movement as Archer shook his head disappointedly and lowered the bow.

"Nothing's moving up there," he informed his master. "Should I try somewhere else?"

"A few more around the perimeter then, if you can do it. Watch to see if there is any reaction to your shots."

Archer obeyed her orders and let off a few more arrows, but again there the only thing that happened was that the old wall around the temple got a few large holes in it.

"Nope, nothing," Archer clicked his tongue as his bow dissolved into motes of light. "What about you Rin?"

While Archer had been busy testing the temple's defenses Rin had been observing the area through the senses of a jewel bird she had sent. Had any spells been disturbed by Archer's attacks she would have felt the flare of prana, but the jewel bird had not felt a thing, which meant that there were no active defences.

"I can't see anything," Rin said as she gave up. "Caster is either relying on the mountain's ward and Assassin to protect her, or she never considered an attack like this. I think that there might be a detection ward, but if there is it's too complicated for me to make anything of it."

The lack of any defenses was encouraging in a sense as it meant there was nothing preventing them from simply bombarding the temple as Archer had proven himself able to do against Berserker, but that was about it. Such an action was a very last resort in the case that Kirika had already been killed. Rin didn't want to think of such a possibility, especially not as Sakura was up there, but forced herself to at least consider the fact.

This left Rin with the problem of what to do. The main purpose of this exercise had been to try and lure at least one of the servants out and into a running battle where Archer could use his ability to the full, but that didn't look like it was going to happen. It hadn't been too likely, but the limited options available to them meant that it was the best plan that Archer and Rin had been able to come up with on such short notice.

"What now?" Archer asked Rin. "Doesn't look like they plan to come out of there any time soon."

"..."

"Rin?"

There was no answer from Rin who was grim faced as she stared up at the mountain-top. Caster had chosen a very good place to hole up, and Rin knew that there was very little that they could do aside from a head on charge into Caster's base. That knowledge however was putting stress on her as she knew from what Saber and Lily had told her that their chances of success in such a case was very low. Caster by herself was bad enough, but an Assassin that could overwhelm Lily in a direct confrontation as well as Rider? The odds were stacked against them, and the fact was grinding away at her already strained confidence.

"Oi, Rin! Snap out of it!"

A sharp rap on the head rudely awoke Rin from her gloomy contemplations, and she looked angrily at Archer who was unrepentant to say the least.

"You've got to lighten up," Archer sighed when he saw her face. "Open your mind up a little, consider some more options. If you keep brooding like that you aren't going to be of any use to anyone."

Rin opened her mouth to make an angry retort, then closed it again as she realised he was right. Taking a deep breath, she cleared her mind as she had been taught to do for meditation. A few seconds passed, and when Rin opened her eyes again Archer was pleased to see a little of her usual energy back in her eyes.

"Sorry about that Archer, that was shameful of me," Rin apologised to her servant for her hideous breach of the Tohsaka motto of always being elegant. "Do you have any suggestions?"

"Uhm... Head straight at them?"

When Archer smiled wryly and shrugged his shoulders, Rin felt the veins in her forehead throb a little as she clenched her fist, but did not say anything as she berated herself for having any expectations of this scoundrel of a servant.

"Archer..." Rin groaned as she felt a headache coming on.

"Sorry, but there's not much we can do under the circumstances," said Archer. "We have limited time, and it's not as if we have any other allies to speak of. Hell, if one of the other servants was to attack Caster we might have a better chance, but the moment they realise that Kirika's gone we are probably the first side they are going to attack."

He was right, and Rin had to know it, but Archer was surprised to see Rin suddenly brighten up and look at him as if-

"Archer, you are a genius!"

"... Hah?" Archer looked at Rin dumbfounded.

"No time to explain!" Rin said excitedly. "We need to look for Berserker!"

"... Hah?" Archer's exclamation was even louder this time.

Rin however was in no mood to explain as she kicked Archer on his buttocks. "Well, what are you waiting for hawkeye? Get to looking already! I'll send a bird to where the Einzberns are staying so look around and see if you can find that little brat."

"What in the world for?" Archer asked as he indignantly rubbed his butt.

"To get them to attack Caster of course!" Rin replied instantly to Archer's consternation.

Archer eventually got his explanation, but it took a while.

-x-x-x-

It was getting close to one o'clock when a line of communication between Rin and the Einzberns was finally established. Rin had begun the conversation with high hopes, but after just the exchange of greetings she was already wondering why she had thought this was such a great idea.

"Yes, yes, oba-san," Ilya voice sounded from the sapphire on Rin's side of the line. Rin had corrected her after being addressed as Tohbaka once more, but Ilya was not taking the correction to heart at all. "You didn't call me just to argue about your name, did you? Or did you finally come to your senses and wish to surrender?"

Rin took a deep breath to calm herself. She didn't know if it was Ilya's childish voice or simply something about her choice of words, but it was all too easy to become distracted when they talked to each other, and that wasn't something she had the time for right now.

"Then let's get straight down to business, Einzbern," Rin told Ilya across the line. "As I already told your maid, there is a mutual problem of ours that I wish to co-operate with you on."

"Eh? Is there something wrong with the Grail system?" Ilya asked. It was understandable why she would ask about that as it was the only reason that the three houses would normally have had to co-operate during the Grail War.

Ilya must have thought of something then, as she let out a short exclamation before chuckling evilly.

"Huhuhu, I get it Tohbaka-san. This is because you destroyed the Matous isn't it?" Ilya said gleefully as she came to the wrong conclusion. "Well, in that case, I'll be glad to help sort out what problems you caused. In return though... Hmmm, I'll take the pretty girl that was with you and her servants. How does that sound?"

If Rin's current situation had been a little less dire, Ilya's ridiculous demands would have been enough for her to start another fiery exchange of verbal blows. As it was however, Rin controlled her temper and politely delivered the message she had begun this stressful conversation for in the first place.

"Unfortunately for your withered old family, that is not the reason I speak to you, Einzbern. Instead I talk to you precisely because of the girl that you have such an interest in."

"Hoi? What about her?" Ilya asked innocently before she delivered another bombshell. "If your finances are tight I'll be glad to buy her for a suitable price?"

Despite herself Rin wondered what the Einzberns might consider a suitable price for Kirika even as she was angered by Ilya's suggestion.

"There's no time for jokes, Einzbern," Rin hissed. "Kirika's been kidnapped by Caster, and I don't know if she is still alive."

Rin didn't know what she had expected, but it wasn't what came next.

"... Whaaaaaaaat?" Ilya shrieked shrilly. "They can't do that! I needed her to answer some questions for me! Uuuuuuu... Berserker!"

The sound of Berserker's roar suddenly drowned out the sounds from the other side of the line. The noise of horrendously loud that Rin dropped the gem she held until the sound faded. When she picked it up again the line was quiet.

"Einzbern? Ilyasviel? Hello?" Rin spoke through the line just to make sure that Ilya wasn't there. "Wow," she mumbled when she realised that Ilya was gone. "That was unexpectedly easy."

"It worked?" Archer looked incredulous as he appeared by her side.

"Seems so," Rin told him, a little surprised herself. "I wonder what it is that Ilyasviel wants to ask Kirika for her to react like that."

Archer frowned at that. He remembered being close to the Einzbern mage in his life before she died, but couldn't remember anything about the time that they had met. Yet, there was something about that thought which was setting off alarm bells inside his head.

"Well, if this works out, we can find out first hand," Archer said as he dropped the thought. Trying to force the memory to reform only gave him a headache, and it just wasn't that important right now.

"Yes, I suppose," Rin said a little hesitantly. She was thinking about the trouble that could result if anyone found out who Kirika was, had been, or whatever the grammar was for that sort of thing.

"Let's get going, Rin," Archer advised her. "We don't want to be too late, or we might lose our chance."

He was right, and Rin was about to lead the way when she thought of something.

"Shouldn't we call Saber and Lily?" she asked Archer. "This could be our best chance at getting Kirika back, and if we do manage it we will need all the help we can get against the other servants."

"You are right," Archer was about to continue when he frowned and looked at a point on the streets below. "... But that might be a little too late," he finished lamely.

Rin groaned and palmed her face when she spotted what Archer had seen. An unmistakable grey giant was speeding through the streets of Fuyuki towards Mt Enzou like an out of control monster truck. Upon his shoulder was a purple and white blob that appeared to be screaming joyfully. At the speed Berserker was going, he was going to reach the mountain in just a few minutes.

"Ugh... Is nothing going to go to plan today?" Rin said plaintively to whatever gods might be listening.

A sudden gust of wind blew her hair into her face, as if the heavens were saying, 'no'.

-x-x-x-

Berserker's arrival at the temple did not go unnoted.

"My my, so many rude people today. First the gate and -," Assassin began to say as she appeared in front of Berserker.

"######################-!"

"Berserker! Charge!"

"... Eh?"

The frozen grin on Assassin's face was almost comical as she flickered out of Berserker's path. It was a very wise move on her part as soon evidenced by the complete destruction of the gate which had been barely standing after Archer's probing attacks.

"Pfui! Ach," Ilyasviel coughed as the dust got into her mouth. "Alright, we are in! Berserker, find that witch and kill her!"

"#####################-!"

"... Oops?" Assassin laughed weakly as Berserker rushed into the temple grounds. The witch was going to be a little annoyed with her for letting him in without a fight, but how was she supposed to stop something like that?

"Still, I suppose I must try," Assassin mused before her form flickered again.

As she moved as fast as her skills allowed, Assassin's body reappeared five times before she caught up to the legendary giant. Upon her appearance just behind Berserker, Assassin swung her blade...

... and became the fifth servant in the war to find out just how ridiculous Berserker's defenses were.

- Ting! -

"Ara?" Assassin got a blank look on her face as her blade's edge failed to do what it had so many time before.

"###########-!"

Enraged by the attack, Berserker swung at Assassin with his sword. The crude blade tore the air around it as it descended towards its target, but failed to connect as Assassin recovered from her stupor and flickered out of range.

"Oh my," Assassin's face was slightly flushed with exhilaration as she considered her opponent. "How very interesting."

She soon had to dodge again as Berserker came after her, and side-stepped a blow that would otherwise have cleaved her in two. Much to her surprise, this was not sufficient for her to get free. The sharp wind that Berserker's blow had created shredded the space around the radius of his swing, and Assassin received her first wound since her summoning as her right arm was gashed open.

"###############-!"

"Tch," Assassin's beautiful face was marred by a frown of pain and displeasure as she darted backwards to create some more space between her and Berserker.

Fully alert now, Assassin realised that in order to completely evade Berserker's attacks, she would have to move much faster and with more exaggerated motions than she usually did. The necessity annoyed her as this method lacked the elegance which usually decorated her fights, but against an opponent of this caliber she couldn't afford to be picky.

Flashing into Tsukikage Shunpo again, Assassin got behind Berserker again and delivered another futile blow before she darted out again, the space she had occupied rent asunder an instant later by Berserker's great blade. Once clear, Assassin looked carefully at the point where she had struck, and smiled thinly as she observed the thin scratch that her most powerful blow had left. A little tic developed on the graceful servants brow a moment later when she saw that the action had caused her treasured sword to come out the worse off, the edge dulled so slightly as to make almost no difference to anyone but Assassin. For the servant who regarded the weapon as a part of herself however, the slight marring gave her the same feeling as one would get from being stepped on.

Of course, she thought as she dodged yet another series of wild swings from the servant of rage, being stepped on by Berserker would likely be fatal for someone like her.

"#########-!"

Assassin had delayed Berserker for over a minute now, and Ilya was visibly losing her patience at the lack of progress.

"Ah, just ignore her Berserker! She can't even hurt you!" Ilya screeched from atop Berserker's shoulder. "Hurry up and find Caster!"

"##################-!"

A pattern of red light appeared upon Ilya's body as the Einzbern mage bent Berserker's will away from Assassin. It was a formidable display of power and skill from the young mage, as most mages would have found it impossible to so quickly sway the mind of a hero so quickly, even if he was trapped within his rage. The object that Berserker's attention had been turned away from however was not altogether happy with being dismissed like that, and quickly made her displeasure known.

Only instincts developed through countless adventures prevented Ilya from being wounded in the brief scene that followed. The berserk servant had felt the shift in killing intent from the other servant and moved his upper body an instant after Assassin's form disappeared from where she had been. That same instant, Monohoshizao flashed through the air where Ilya's neck had been, coming close enough to the Einzbern mage that Ilya froze up in fright.

"#####################-!"

His rage amplified by the threat to his master, Berserker's blows became a storm of earth shattering strikes as he chased after Assassin. Ilya would have stopped him, but she was still stunned by how close she had come to death to do so.

"Don't you think you are over-reacting?" Assassin earnestly asked as she danced around the edge of Berserker's attacks. "I mean, I was only going to nick her - hic!"

Assassin's remonstrations were cut short as Berserker smashed the tiles on the path, sending a rain of jagged stone at her. The attack itself wasn't so dangerous, but to be caught up in it would slow her down sufficiently so that Berserker might catch her. With that thought Assassin disappeared to the side again via use of her flash step, but this time when she came out of it she had a slightly strained expression on her face.

"#######-!" Berserker refused to let up and chased after her.

"Hah... Why is that witch so late?" Assassin grumbled as she danced back towards the gate. She had carried out her job which was to slow down or defeat any intruders, but at this rate she was going to be retired before help came.

Not to mention the fact that her clothes weren't going to survive the fight, Assassin thought as the wind from Berserker's attacks made yet another rent on her kimono. It wasn't as if she couldn't repair the outfit by simply reforming it, but it was the principle of the thing.

Assassin had nearly led Berserker right back to the gate when Ilya snapped out of her daze and realised the situation.

"Ah, ah... How dare you?" Ilya raged indignant at the fact that not only had this insignificant excuse for a servant slowed them down, but had come close to killing her. "Berserker! Change of plans, we are killing this one before we go for Caster!"

"##################-!" Berserker answered his master with a huge roar.

Assassin's grin was fixed on her face as Berserker rushed her, but the casual air she had given off was gone now. The reason for her tension was the attacks that Ilya had begun to throw at her. Nothing but barely controlled masses of prana, but against Assassin whose magic resistance was barely above that of your average human that was more than enough to make her situation worse than it already was.

"Die, die, die!"

"##########-!"

As Ilya excitedly called for her death and Berserker filled the air with noise, Assassin could only sigh and curse Caster's tardiness in her head as she pushed her strained body to its limits in order to avoid death.

Just as Assassin thought that she might 'die' this night, reprieve arrived, but not in the form that she had hoped.

"Another reckless child? My dear - Hiiiii!"

"Darn, she blocked it."

Caster's appearance in the sky above them, followed shortly by a volley of arrows that tore apart Caster's robe as she managed to shield herself from the worst of the attack. Archer's appearance shortly afterward made everyone hesitate, and when Rider arrived in the courtyard shortly afterwards chaos descended upon the scene.

"##################-!" Berserker was the first to move, again charging Assassin as his master had last ordered him to do.

"Rider, attack Arch- Ara?"

A fiery shower of sparks lit the night as Assassin was forced to block a series of arrows loosed at her by Archer. The delay this caused was nearly fatal, and Berserker finally managed to directly connect with an attack, but Assassin managed to get away alive. She paid a heavy price for her survival with her left arm hanging useless after Berserker's blow mangled her shoulder, but she was still alive and on her feet.

Contrary to everyone's expectations, Archer had made the decision to attack Assassin first as he judged her the most dangerous of the servants here. Well, aside from Berserker but he was technically on his side for now. Caster he could fend off with his bow, and Rider too was not so dangerous in a head on fight, but the teleportation and sword skill that Lily had told him of was not something that he could block so easily. With that in mind he had timed his attack to coincide with Berserker's, but the same teleportation that Lily had warned him of had thrown off his calculations in that she had managed to get away. Archer didn't have any time to be disappointed in Assassin's survival though, as Rider listened to Assassin's advice and leapt towards him.

"Damn it," Archer swore quickly as he realised that he couldn't get away from Rider.

Rider's nail clashed against the white blade that appeared in Archer's hand, and this time it was Archer who was surprised as Rider's blow set him back on his heels. The veteran of a thousand battles was quick to recover though, and Rider swayed back as the black blade in Archer's other hand swept across in a biting arc.

While the two began their duel, Assassin was in a pinch as Berserker tried to finish her off. She could have gotten away if she tried, but Caster's presence nearby meant that she could not do so without the other servant being exposed to attack. With that in mind, she was doing the best she could to keep out of harm's way while staying close enough to Berserker that he could not attack Caster, but the wound she had received restricted her movements enough that she was now getting nicked by the trail of Berserker's attacks more often than not.

If this had continued Assassin would have been the first servant of the war to fall, but luckily for the false servant her 'master' was not about to let that happen just yet.

"Ἄτλας!"

With Archer occupied against a renewed Rider, Caster had been secure enough that she was able to turn her attention to Berserker. As might be expected of someone who had shared the great hero's moment in history, Caster was able to recognise Berserker for who he was, and instantly decided that Ilya needed to be removed from the master-servant equation. For this she went with an attack that Berserker could not block, a spell that increased gravity in a select area a hundredfold. Had Ilyasviel been caught up in the attack she would have instantly been crushed like an overripe apple under a hammer.

However not even Caster could have predicted Berserker's reaction to the spell.

Ilya had just settled down from nearly being killed by Assassin when Berserker noticed that Caster was about to make a move.

"Berser-?"

Feeling Berserker's muscles shift undernearth her, Ilya was about to ask what was wrong when Berserker suddenly grabbed her...

... And threw her high up into the air.

"-!"

Caster's spell hit moments later, but Berserker was able to move under its effects with little or no difficulty. With little time to spare, the huge servant ripped a tile out from underfoot, and threw it at Caster like one would a discus. The force imparted into the stone made the air scream as it accelerated towards the witch who had been thrown aback by Berserker's move, and Caster barely managed to prevent her own decapitation as she hurriedly put up a barrier. Even this did not prevent her from being hurt however as the stone shattered the shell of light like a wrecking ball, but enough of its energy was lost that Caster was only knocked back, rather than being squished like roadkill.

If Berserker had followed up the attack Caster would have been helpless to defend herself right then, but he had other priorities. Ilya was falling back down to earth, and Assassin had reacted to her master's jeopardy by getting close enough to attack the Einzbern master when she came back down. Roaring loudly, Berserker hurriedly forced Assassin to retreat, and gently caught Ilya before she hit the ground.

"..."

Unsurprisingly, Ilya was unconscious after her unscheduled flight. Her whites showing as her eyes rolled back into her head, it was clear that she was not about to wake up anytime soon.

"Ugh... How troublesome."

Caster was moaning in pain as she took to the air again. Now that Archer was being checked by Rider she was much safer up there than down on the earth with that monster. Assassin too had recovered enough of her energy that her razor sharp gaze once again promised death should Berserker be an instant too slow to react. The combined threat would have given any sensible man pause, but Berserker was unable to think rationally with his mind consumed by the rage. Instead it was experience ingrained into his body and mind that made the giant growl fiercely as he sensed that it would be difficult to fight here with his master by his side.

"###########-!"

A heavy blow against the earth scattered shrapnel all over the place, mostly in Assassin's direction. The threat these posed to the frail servant made her back off, and Berserker took the opportunity to grab more more tiles and throw them up at Caster. This time Caster met the attack with a flurry of energy bolts that smashed the stones into smithereens, but that was enough time for Berserker to do that which betrayed all expectations that the other servants held of his class.

Retreat.

With Ilya held securely in his arms, Berserker ran towards the shattered ruins of the gate before leaping through the air. The slope meant that his trajectory would leave him a long ways down the stairs when he landed.

Berserker's unexpected flight from the temple yard left Archer in a pinch, and it was not long before he too forced back Rider with an explosion that shrouded the area in smoke as he disappeared. Tracking the servants' movements by the ripples of prana that their presence created, Caster considered pursuit, but quickly shelved the idea as too dangerous if one accounted for the abilities of the two fleeing servants. Far better to stay in here and wait for them to come back, as she knew they would have to.

Especially once the ritual she had prepared was completed.

Now, Caster thought as she floated down to earth, she would have to fix up the damage to the temple grounds...

"Caster, a little help please?" Assassin called out. Her shoulder was still mangled from Berserker's attack and she needed Caster to heal her.

"... Oh, you were there too," Caster commented as she remembered about Assassin.

"..." Assassin's face said everything about how she felt right now.

**5-3**

Though it was light outside, the relatively small pocket of space within which Caster's temple resided was dark but for the light of a few glowing orbs that illuminated a central altar. From this alone one could tell that this was not an environment that had been intended for habitation. It was much too dark for that. Humanity had adapted itself for the light, and the shadowed world that existed in this false space would cause an instinctive rejection in most members of the species. Yet, not all found this place inhospitable. Matou Sakura was one of those few people, at least for the moment. The depressing emotions that clouded her hard were darker than any mere shadow could be, and in the midst of her heartfelt suffering she found this gloomy world a comfort as she hid herself away from the harsh glare of reality.

It was with a weary spirit and heavy heart that Sakura sat here, surrounded by the darkness. Normally at this time of day she would have been busy keeping up her role of a model student at school, but the chaos caused by her brother's foolish actions had caused the school to be closed down until the authorities could figure out what had happened. There were no chores to take care of either. Here at the temple she had little to do unless she was talking to Caster or her own servant, Rider. Right now however Caster was busy doing something with her master and Rider was keeping watch outside. Left to her own devices Sakura had thought about studying, but the weariness she felt had dissuaded her after a few futile attempts to focus on the words before her. With nothing else to do, Sakura had been drawn here to the heart of Caster's defences, where one of the few people in this world she was interested in currently lay comatose.

Bound in chains of purple light, Kirika had been placed upon the stone altar like a sacrifice out of ancient legends. The older girl was dressed in a frilly white dress that Caster had obtained from somewhere, and looked even more ethereal than usual as she basked in the mystic light thrown out by the orbs that floated in the air around this ceremony area. If she hadn't known better Sakura could have mistaken her for an exquisitely crafted doll as she lay there lifelessly, but the rhythmical fall and rise of her chest betrayed the fact that this was a living and breathing human being. Nevertheless, bereft of the energy that she usually exuded, Kirika looked very different right now from the lively but refined sempai that Sakura admired and envied.

Not knowing why, Sakura approached the altar and sat down next to the unmoving object of her attention. She was close enough now that she could feel the warmth of the other girl's hand beside hers as she supported her weight on one arm. It felt odd to touch someone like this, Sakura thought as she ran the fingers of her free hand over the smooth skin of Kirika's arm. This was the first time in years that she had touched somebody out of her own volition, the only contact she had enjoyed during these last few years being Shinji's rough hands upon her body. The warmth she felt from Kirika's body however was very different from the violent heat that she was used to. The soft flesh under her hand was pleasantly warm to the touch, and despite herself Sakura felt a bit of tension drain out of her as she enjoyed the unfamiliar sensation.

After that pleasant distraction Sakura's hand travelled slightly downwards towards her original objective. Nestling into the area below Kirika's chest, Sakura relaxed herself in order to focus on the movement beneath her hands. A steady soft thumping that was proof of Kirika's continued health. The unfamiliar sensation was strange at first, but once she got used to it the slow rhythm began to lull her to sleep, and Sakura lowered her head onto Kirika's body both in order to check how the motion sounded to the ear and to get more comfortable.

Ba-thump, ba-thump. The slow but heavy sound of Kirika's heartbeat was barely audible, but together with the movement of the chest that accompanied it, was sufficiently recognisable for Sakura to settle in to enjoy it. A tranquil few minutes followed as Sakura closed her eyes and appreciated the somehow soothing sound. She didn't know quite why, but as she lay there she was able to relax for the first time in days, and she decided to enjoy the fleeting peace that she had found to the full.

Before long however Sakura's thoughts began to wander again, and with a sigh Sakura opened her eyes and returned to the world around her. Her movements were lethargic as she raised herself up, and her reluctant motions eventually put her in a position where she was crouched over Kirika, with her hands on the stone on either side of the other girl's face.

At this point Sakura suddenly stopped, frozen as her attention was caught by Kirika's rosy red lips. Sakura wasn't deaf, and she had heard the dirtier rumours at school about the exact relationship between Kirika and Rin. Shinji too had railed on at times about the two's supposed goings-on. It was not too suprising therefore that Sakura would wonder if Kirika had indeed kissed Rin with these very lips.

Sakura's fingers which had already trailed over much of Kirika's body now found their way to the soft flesh of Kirika's lips. Silky and moist, Sakura poked at them a few times as she checked how they felt under her fingertips. They really were very soft.

At this point a random thought again entered Sakura's head as she looked down on Kirika's face from above. It was a little whisper in the back of her head at first, a quiet voice that asked how it might feel to kiss someone. Of course, it wasn't that Sakura hadn't kissed someone before, but those had been crude things that Shinji had forced upon her. What if, out of her own will, she was to touch her lips to someone elses? How might that feel?

Her attention turned towards the wonderful example right in front of her. If she was to try and kiss someone she probably wouldn't find a more pleasant partner to experiment with than the girl that slept below her. Plus, there was the additional advantage that Kirika was fast asleep, and would not awake even with the contact. As such, there was no reason to make a fuss or get embarrassed if she was to do this. Just a quick touch, that was all. All she had to do was lean forward, and put her lips against Kirika's, like... This?

Sakura's eyes widened slightly and a whimper escaped her lips as she realised what she was doing, but the sound was muffled by Kirika's lips against her own. It was an interesting paradox that assaulted her mind as she took stock of her situation. The shock that she had actually done something like this told her to pull away, but the shock itself had frozen her in place, and the feeling of Kirika's lips against her own were... Not unpleasant. A moment that felt like an eternity passed, and Sakura's body recovered enough for her to pull her face away from Kirika's with painful slowness, though more than a bit of that might have been due to an unconscious reluctance to deprive herself of this pleasant sensation.

Sitting up, Sakura blinked, and licked her lips with the tip of her tongue. As she did so she imagined what Kirika's lips would taste like, but she soon shook her head to clear it of the last of such flighty thoughts. It was bad enough that she was so emotionally unstable as to act upon such strange impulses, and she didn't need to degrade herself any further through her actions.

Quickly organising her thoughts, Sakura regathered her composure as she stood up in order to head back out of this space. She was not completely without things to do if she wanted to participate in the battles to come, and now that she had recovered from her slump she needed to go and do them.

As she made her way up the stairs that led back out to the mountain however, Sakura paused to take a look back towards the altar where Kirika continued to sleep on oblivious to what was going on around her. It was hard to tell what Sakura was thinking with the expressionless look on her face, but as she turned back around Sakura brushed her lips with her fingers. As if she was remembering the kiss from moments ago.

-x-x-x-

Lancer was not a happy servant.

First his original master had been killed while his back was turned, and he had been forced to contract with that damned suspicious priest in order to stay on this plane. Second, he had been forced by an order under a command seal to run away from all his fights so far. This was very much against the grain for a man who was famed in legend for standing ground even in the face of death. What annoyed him even more however was that even now, when all the restrictions upon him had been removed, the world appeared to be conspiring to keep him from having a decent battle.

A good fight was the whole reason he had agreed to be summoned, damn it!

"Wait, let me get this straight," Lancer said as a deep frown creased his brow. "So you are saying that the girl who collapsed that last time managed to get herself kidnapped? By that witch on the mountain no less?"

"Unfortunately, that is the case," Archer told him. "Which is why I approached you."

"You tried to shoot me!"

"Well, how else was I supposed to grab your attention from that range?" Archer coolly responded to Lancer's burst of outrage. "Besides, you blocked it didn't you?"

Archer referred to his method of getting Lancer's attention, which was to shoot one of his arrows at the other servant as he wandered around the city in search of an opponent. Fortunately there hadn't been any people around at the time, which meant Lancer had easily swept the projectile aside, but if there had been it would have meant another argument with the damned priest about his negligence. There was also the principle of the matter too. Lancer was not one to simply turn the other cheek when struck, and Archer's nonchalant attitude made his temper flare.

"In that case how about I stab you now and call that a greeting?" Lancer growled. "Or how about I just run you through right now and save myself the bother of hunting you down later?"

"Pass, I need to save my energy for Caster's lackeys if anyone," Archer replied. "Now, are you going to help us or do I have to make myself scarce?"

Lancer clicked his tongue as he considered the proposal. The invitation itself was acceptable, as it meant that he would finally be headed for a huge brawl, but the downsides were obvious as well. One of which was the fact that he would be working together with the annoying man in front of him.

"How do you know if she's even still alive?" Lancer asked Archer after a while. "I mean, for all you people know Caster might have killed the girl as soon as she got back to the mountain."

Archer grimaced, he was of two minds himself on this point but Rin was insistent that Kirika was still okay.

"My master has a connection of sorts to the girl," Archer replied to Lancer's question. "She tells me that the girl is okay, and she is my master, so."

Archer shrugged as if to say that he didn't really have anything to say on the matter, but this wasn't enough for Lancer.

"It's a problem if she is alive too," said Lancer. "How can you be sure that she won't be threatened into getting her servant to attack you? Going up against three servants at once is going to be a problem if there's a potential backstabber among you."

"Well on point I have to say that I trust the girl to die before she does such a thing," Archer said as he thought about the few similarities he saw between Kirika and the boy he had been. However, he then paused and frowned. "However, I can't rule out the fact that Caster might be able to mess with her mind somehow."

"That really doesn't help," Lancer said with a snort. "Don't suppose I'm going to get any better chances though."

Archer raised an eyebrow. "Does that mean you are in?"

"Yeah, sure. Why not?" Lancer shrugged. "I mean, a chance to fight beside Hercules and King Arthur? Against that crazy swordswoman and that monster? Who wouldn't be interested?"

"Huh." Archer looked at him curiously. "Don't you need to consult with your master though?"

Lancer barked out a laugh. "My master? Hah! That man couldn't care less about what I'm doing. I'm free to do as I wish as long as I... Gah, stupid command seal. Can't say anything without the words getting stuck in my throat."

If Lancer didn't know better he would have said that his current master was paranoid, but it wasn't paranoia if everyone really was a potential enemy. The intolerable man's best defence was the fact that no one suspected that he was a participant, and it was therefore understandable that he would forbid anything to be said about him. It didn't mean that it was pleasant to be on the receiving end of such a measure though, especially when there was no comparable leash on a certain golden-haired snob who sometimes wandered by.

While Lancer inwardly grumbled about his situation, Archer had a frown on his face as he tried to think of why Lancer's words provoked such a strange sense of distaste and foreboding in him. The loss of his memories about the Grail War upon being summoned meant that he had no idea who Lancer's master was, but a nagging feeling told him that he should know, and that it was someone who he hated very deeply.

"... And that blasted sense of taste! How could anyone live on such hot food alone?" Lancer mumbled to himself in the background.

Twitch.

"... Snob. Who does he think he is calling everybody he meets a mongrel? If it wasn't for that stupid order..."

Twitch.

"... Hey, Archer. When are we going to get going? You still haven't told me when and how we are going to carry out the attack."

"... Yeah, sorry about that," Archer returned his attention to the task at hand. It was no good getting distracted like this when he had a monumental task before him. "Just follow me. It not completely dark yet and we have a few things to work out before we head for the mountain."

"Lead the way," Lancer said nonchalantly.

Archer nodded and immediately began to run for the place where he had agreed to meet with Rin. Lancer watched him go then began to follow in the other servants wake. He still wasn't sure if this was doable or not, but at this point he didn't really care. He could finally get himself a decent battle, that was all that mattered right now.

Who knew? He might even be able to score with a woman or two tonight as well. Gods knew there were enough of them involved.

-x-x-x-

Unbeknownst to those servants that did not belong to Caster's alliance, the mountain already had another visitor this early evening, and he was making his presence felt in a ridiculously overstated manner.

"Is that all you've got, snake?" the golden servant cried out. "Come on! Struggle harder against your death!"

A shower of missiles accompanied his words, each with the power to shatter stone and shake the earth. If one took the time to look at the missiles for what they were, it was obvious that each one was a wonderfully crafted work of art, and that their 'wielder' cared little for them as he threw them out as one might a bunch of common pebbles from the roadside.

There was no reply from Rider, who was too busy guiding her trusted steed through the storm of metal and flame. Instead it was Assassin who made the retort from her currently very uncomfortable position.

"You really don't treat women very well do you, Archer?" Assassin gasped painfully even as the chains around her squeezed her lungs. "Didn't anyone teach you that you shouldn't be so rough with a woman?"

Cocooned in chains, Assassin was suspended helplessly in the air behind the self declared Archer with a blade driven into each leg. Another servant might have been able to struggle against such bonds, but Assassin was not much stronger than your average human and could do little more than try to distract this arrogant man. Surprisingly, this tactic was working to some extent, as the small pauses that Archer took to answer her gave Rider room to maneuver. Without such distractions this fight would have been over long ago, even with Bellerephon and Pegasus out.

"How I treat my possessions is up to me, wench," Archer said with a smirk as he looked at Assassin. "Everything in this world is mine, and anyone I grace with my attention should be honoured by the privilege. Especially if they are a wretched monster like that viper up there."

"... And what should I make of my current kinky condition?" Assassin asked incredulously as she absorbed the meaning of Archer's arrogant statement.

"Just punishment," Archer told her as he fired off another barrage at Rider to keep her at bay. "Be glad that I chose to spare you, woman. This is but a small price to pay for shedding my blood."

Looking at the wound on Archer's neck that he was talking about, Assassin couldn't keep from sighing in regret. If her attack had been just a little faster she wouldn't have ended up like this. Unfortunately for her though, it appeared that this all too shiny servant had learned of her abilities from somewhere, and had defended himself just in time to save his life. She had learned something during that too. Tsubame-gaeshi may very well be an unblockable attack, but that did little good if you were hitting what may have been a wall, an electrified one too at that. The failed attack had cost her as well, as the shock she had received had stunned her for just a moment too long. Before she could move, Archer had caught her with this infernal chain, and had then proceeded to truss her up like some trophy fish. Then, just to make sure, he had skewered her legs in what was one of the more painful experiences in her memory.

Archer had returned his attention towards Rider, and the servant of the steed was being hard pressed as the rain of missiles put her skills to test. She couldn't avoid all the shots though, and it was a testament to both her ability and the sturdiness of her mount that they were both still alive. As Assassin watched yet another hit clipped the fast moving white streak, and while the pegasus did not stop, the impact was enough to hinder its movements enough that Rider was barely able to force it around another barrage.

"About that, Archer," Assassin spoke up quickly to both distract the other servant and to satsify her curiosity. "Why are you keeping me alive like this?"

Archer summoned up another swarm of noble phantasms from his seemingly endless stock, but stopped before he used any of them.

"Hah? Isn't it obvious?" he asked her. "All treasures in this world are mine, but even among all such valuables an unique item such as you deserves more care than others."

A slight frown marred Assassin's face. "I am no object, arrogant one. If you wish to own a woman find a more - keheck!"

"It matters little what you think, wench," Archer said snidely as he pulled her close by the chain around her neck. "From the moment you were born you became mine, and now I choose to stake my claim."

Releasing her, Archer chuckled while Assassin coughed and gasped for air.

"You will live for as long as I see fit, and you will die when I will it. Now, be quiet for a while so that I can clear out some vermin."

After one last patronising stroke of the face, Archer turned and began to conduct the metal choir that he had summoned. Seeing the change of light in his eyes, Assassin instinctively knew that any further attempts to distract him would not work, or only serve to draw his ire. It was deeply frustrating for the woman who had always been able to cut her way out of problems, but there was little she could do other than hope that Rider or that cursed witch would take care of this insufferable man.

High up in the air above where Assassin was chained up, Rider was fast running out of options as the constant high speed maneuvering began to take its toll upon steed and rider. A few minutes more at best, that was all the time she could buy. Even that seemed optimistic as Archer began to focus on her, and the number of missiles being thrown her way steadily increased. Rider didn't know how this servant could afford to throw away weapons like this, but after the first twenty or so she couldn't have cared less about how many he had. She was too busy staying alive. If Assassin hadn't been captured she might have been able to do more, but as it was she couldn't even risk anything more than a glancing attack with this self-proclaimed Archer right beside her captured ally.

As her pegasus whinnied in pain after another glancing hit, Rider began to wonder just where Caster had gone off to. The other servant had shown herself at the start of the battle, but had quickly retreated after her dragontooth soldiers were massacred in an instant. It had become clear then that the forces that they had at hand were not enough to stop this intruder, and Caster had asked them to buy some time as she went off to prepare something that might turn the tide. Rider wasn't sure what that might be, but if Caster didn't do something quickly she was going to have to retreat as best as she could and take Sakura with her.

Tense seconds ticked by in Rider's head as she guided her mount in a risky aerial ballet. In the end however, it appeared that she was going to have to abandon her post as Archer seemed to get frustrated with his inability to shoot her down. Exactly how many weapons hung in the air behind him Rider wasn't sure, but it seemed like a lot more than what he had used up until now.

Realising that she was in a helpless position, Rider prepared to use all the power she had left to escape Archer's sight and head for where Sakura was. The brilliant white comet that was rider and mount grew brighter as she poured everything she had left into Bellerephon. On the ground below, Archer prepared to launch the storm of metal that would finally bring her down. It was just as both servants were about to put thought to action that the world changed around them.

-x-x-x-

Words lost in time, a language once spoken by the gods and those who had been gifted with the knowledge. Each word a mystical working beyond most modern mages, it was impossible for Sakura to tell what was about to happen as Caster chanted a long spell in Divine Words.

As Caster spoke, the stones that made up her temple began to glow and become brighter, until the artificial space that it resided in was lit up as bright as day. The focus of this grand display however was the altar, where Kirika's unconscious form lay as the centerpiece to a huge magic circle that had appeared as Caster began her work. The servant herself stood to one side of the circle as she chanted, and it was clear from the tense look on her face that whatever this was meant to do, it was a difficult task even for her.

Of course, Caster's tension may partly have been due to the fact that she was on a time limit. The mysterious servant who had invaded her home was engaged in battle against Assassin and Rider, but despite the superior numbers Caster knew that it was only a matter of time before the defence would crumble. The difference in firepower was just too great to be overcome so easily. She had to hope however that the two servants would manage to last until this ceremony was complete, for only then would they stand a chance against that monster. Thankfully, it appeared as if Assassin and Rider had done their job well. No one entered the cavern as the spell reached its conclusion, and Caster breathed a mental sigh of relief as she realised that the effects were exactly as she had hoped.

A bystander during this whole exercise, Sakura was startled as tendrils of multi-coloured lightning began to reach out from Kirika's body and flow into the magic circle around the altar. Where they touched the mystic diagram, the purple light of the circle was invaded by the newcomer, and soon the entire area was aglow in a prismatic light that dazzled the eye. Then, in a moment that astonished Sakura, the world began to change. Slowly at first, but steadily faster, a visible boundary began to spread within which the world... Became more real, if Sakura had to explain the phenomenon in words. The biggest surprise came as the change overtook the limits of the cavern. In one moment, the stone walls and ceiling disappeared, and sunlight, impossible sunlight began to shine down from a clear blue sky. The transformation in their surroundings was so sudden and unexpected that even the normally expressionless Kuzuki got a confused look on his face and began to look around in wonder.

Once Sakura pulled her eyes away from the sky, she realised that other changes had occurred as well. Gone was the barren stone walls and floor of the cavern. Instead a pastoral landscape littered with trees stretched as far as the eye could see. The vista was unlike any that Sakura was familiar with, and didn't even appear to resemble any scene within Japan as far as she could tell. The taste of the air was different as well, and though the slight saltiness in the cool breeze was not completely foreign to a resident of Fuyuki, there were other odd smells mixed in there as well that she couldn't identify. Sakura was so caught up in trying to identify what those might be that it was a while before she realised that she could feel the wind against her face.

Wind. In what was an underground cavern?

She would have taken the thought further, but Sakura was distracted as Caster came up to her.

"Sakura, dear. Did you memorise the spells that I told you to look at?" the servant asked in a voice that sounded a little tired yet full of satisfaction.

Sakura noded. "Yes, Caster-san, but I don't quite understand why you wished for me to do so. I'm not sure that I understand the principles behind them, and I couldn't actually cast them right now if you asked me to."

"That won't be a problem," Caster dismissed Sakura's worries. "Take this. We have a trespasser to take care of and if you use it you should be able to do what is needed."

Tentatively taking the offered object, Sakura looked at it curiously. It was an amulet of some sort, a simple accessory with one opal stone suspended on a chain. Looking closer, Sakura could see that there was something inside the stone, like an insect fossilised in amber. This however was no insect, and whatever the thread like object was the power that emanated from it was making the entire stone glow like a multi-coloured spark that resembled the light that was... Coming from Kirika?

"Caster-san, is this... ?"

Caster nodded to Sakura's unspoken question. "Yes, that should let you connect a line to our precious sacrifice over there. I wasn't completely sure until a moment ago, but together with your imaginary numbers that should allow you to use those spells as intended."

That piece of information made Sakura frown and look between the amulet in her hand and the strange new world around her. Something about all this just didn't add up, and Sakura knew why.

"Caster-san, just what is Emiya-sempai that her presence allows you to do something like this?" Sakura asked. "This goes beyond any spell that I've read of, and I doubt that even something like a reality marble could be this... Complete. This world isn't a realisation of anything as fragile as a mental landscape, is it? if anything, it feels just like out world itself, just... More real, if that makes any sense."

There was no immediate response to Sakura's confused request for elucidation. Instead, Caster began to stare at Sakura, until the young magus began to feel a bit nervous.

"Caster-san?" Sakura called out as she suppressed an urge to shiver.

Her call seemed to have an effect though, as Caster smiled and straightened up a little.

"I'm sorry dear. I just didn't expect you to be so perceptive," Caster chuckled softly as she shook her head in apparent chagrin. "Explanations will have to wait though dear, we need to hurry or our servants may be lost."

Sakura had no argument here, as she too had felt some strain as Rider pulled prana from her in order to do battle. If Caster was confident that they could take care of the intruder now it would not hurt to take care of him before they spent time in conversation.

"Caster, will I be needed?" Kuzuki asked as he came over.

"No master," Caster replied. "This will not take long. Please stay here and wait until we return."

Kuzuki nodded and put away the gloves that he had pulled out of his pocket. He trusted Caster's judgment and if she said he wasn't needed there was no need to follow.

Caster herself however had a wryful look on her face as she saw her master immediately back down. She soon recovered and extended a hand to Sakura, who took it gingerly in anticipation of what she knew would follow.

Once their hands were connected, a blanket of darkness covered the two of them for an instant, and when it disappeared Sakura found herself on a hill overlooking a wooded valley covered in deciduous trees. She didn't know how far they had come with that last teleportation, but from here she could see the shore which hadn't been visible before. This led her to wonder just to what extent this world, for in no way could it be dismissed as a mere ward, had contaminated her own. There was no end to it that she could see, and the existence of a sea breeze indicated that this place was of sufficient size that atmospheric movements were possible. The minimum size requirements for such blew her mind, and Sakura had to question just how this was possible.

In the midst of her contemplation, the sound of a large explosion caught her attention, and she turned just in time to spot Rider come to ground with a trail of smoke in the air behind her.

"Rider!" Sakura cried out as she moved to approach her wounded servant, but she was cut off before she could run to her by Caster, who pointed at a place a little ways beyond Rider's location.

A servant she didn't recognise was headed towards them, with Assassin in tow behind him. Sakura was very surprised to see that the servant who had gone toe-to-toe against even Berserker was in such a condition, and Caster sighed in disbelief and mumbled something about how useless her servant was.

"Finally showing your face, witch?" the man who Sakura presumed was the intruder said disparagingly. "I don't know what you have done, but if you think a change in scenery will be enough I suggest you think again."

"Of course not, King of Heroes," Caster replied coolly.

"Hoh?" so addressed, the first king and hero raised an eyebrow. "So you finally figured out the identity of my august presence? For that I'll make you death quick and painless."

"Arrogant as your legend suggests, aren't you," Caster hissed. "Sakura, use that spell. In the mean time..."

Speaking words of power, Caster brought up an array of magic circles that began to gather power in order to lash out at her target. Despite the sight which would have phased most servants, Gilgamesh didn't even blink and snorted in contempt.

"Struggle all you want, witch. That will not change your fate," he told her as he raised his hand to summon more items from his armory.

In the background, Assassin's eyes widened as she saw the powers that were about to clash, mainly due to the fact that she was right in the path of Caster's spell.

"Ah... Caster? Please remember that I am here as well!" she pleaded when it became clear that Caster had no intention of holding back.

Assassin's plea went ignored. Caster's spells were a bit faster to be released, and a storm of laser like beams bombarded the place where Archer stood. It was an impressive display but Caster was not satisfied with the result and quickly erected a twelve-fold barrier in front of herself. Her action was just in time as fire was returned from within the cloud of smoke that her attack had caused to bloom up, and a rain of projectiles began to blow their way through her defence. One, two, four, seven, ten. In one volley nearly all the barriers were shattered and this didn't even count the three weapons that had passed through the shields as if nothing was there. One of these blades had come close enough to catch Caster in the arm as it flew by, and the servant faltered in pain before she hurriedly laid down some suppressive fire with her spells.

"Sakura! Quickly!" Caster shouted at her helper as she realised she had vastly underestimated her enemy. She had thought that the boost that this world now provided her would be enough to handle this servant, but now she was very pleased that she had made sure to bring insurance in the form of the spell that Sakura was preparing. If that didn't work there would be problems, but after her earlier success in replacing this part of the world Caster didn't think that would be the case. The question however was if Sakura could complete the spell before this primeval servant killed them all.

"You dare to try and strike me?" they heard Gilgamesh speak as the smoke cleared. "I intended to be merciful and kill you cleanly, but if you are so ungrateful as to resist..."

Standing behind a huge golden shield that looked none the worse for wear after blocking Caster's attacks, the king of heroes looked annoyed as he summoned a far larger swarm of weapons to throw at them than before. Feeling the power inherent in those glittering weapons, Caster gulped and glanced at Sakura. There was no way that she could defend against this attack, and she would have to retreat if Sakura could not get her spell completed in time.

Gilgamesh raised a hand, and Caster instinctively prepared to teleport away. Then, a burst of prismatic light, and the attentions of all the servants were drawn to its source, the amulet that Sakura held in her right hand.

"What is this? Another trick of yours, Caster?" Archer sneered. "Surely you don't think..."

Archer's voice trailed off as the light grew brighter in response to which more and more power gathered from the transformed world around them towards Sakura. Gilgamesh had seen many things, and he could feel that whatever was about to occur was not something he could dismiss so easily. Seeing the quick flash of concern in his eyes, it was now Caster's turn to smirk.

"Whatever it is that you plan, begone little girl!" Archer roared as he realised his best plan of action was to first kill Sakura.

A shower of lights spat forth towards Sakura, and Caster quickly brought up shields to protect the girl as the spell reached its peak. Archer's attack however could not be stopped so easily, and hope seemed lost for Sakura as the last of the shields shattered almost instantly. Caster however was not worried, as she had felt the final piece of the spell lock into place just as she cast the shields.

"... _Gefängnis von Spiegeln_."

Spoken in a subdued voice, the final words to the spell that Caster had identified and then modified sprang forth from Sakura's lips. Working in overdrive, her circuits were like streams of white hot lava as prana poured out of her to power this spell. Together with the pressure of being attacked, this pain might have caused her to stop or stumble, but Sakura was perfectly calm as she carried the spell to its completion. The amulet she held helped too, doing its job of connecting Sakura to the heart of this grand working.

Archer's attack, which had smashed aside fortress level mystic shields like nothing, ground to a stop now in front of Sakura. or rather, the noble phantasms that the attack seemed to consist of appeared to suddenly slow down then slowly disappear, as if they had been absorbed by the hazy wall that now rolled out towards Archer.

"What?" Archer exclaimed in disbelief as he saw what had happened to his attack. Angered, he tried again, to no effect. The blurry wave continued to approach him and simply absorbed everything that was thrown its way.

Only when the wave had gotten almost close enough to touch did Archer realise the danger. Quickly the servant dodged to the side, but was surprised to find that the wave followed suit. Alarm bells ringing, Gilgamesh was about to back away when he realised what he had just thought and stopped in his tracks.

"Impossible," Archer growled as he realised that he had just been about to show cowardice like any other mortal. "I am Gilgamesh! I fear nothing!"

Bravely, he then summoned a suitable noble phantasm from his stores and turned its power on the approaching spell. A wave of light rolled out to meet the invisible wave that blurred everything around it, and promptly scattered as some of the energy appeared to be absorbed and the rest reflected. Archer would have tried again, with a different item, but before he could the wave had already reached him. As soon as his hand touched the spell, its effects began to draw him in, and Archer shouted in outrage until he was swallowed up by the strange spell.

When the ninth servant of the Grail War had disappeared, silence reigned for a while as the survivors absorbed what had happened. Then, once they realised that Gilgamesh really was gone, trapped in whatever the spell had done, everyone breathed a sigh of relief at having escaped death one more time. As for Sakura, she was fine for a while, but as soon as the tension disappeared from the air she collapsed limply to her knees.

"Sakura?" Rider called out worriedly as she pulled her bruised and battered body to her master's side.

"I'm alright," Sakura told her. "Just tired, that's all."

As if to reiterate her point, Sakura sighed and slumped back a little. When she lowered her hands to support herself a strange feeling in her right hand drew her attention, and when she spotted the broken remnants of Caster's amulet in her hand she turned to look at the one who had given it to her.

Caster was busy trying to get Assassin free of her bonds. With the chains limp after Gilgamesh's disappearance it wasn't too hard to unwind the chains around her limbs but some of the chains were coiled multiple times around Assassin and were a chore to untangle.

"Ow, ow. A little more gently please?" Assassin complained as Caster roughly pulled at one stubborn clump of links. "I'm wounded here."

"Don't be such a crybaby," Caster said harshly. "I already cast a healing spell on your wounds. You should be fine now."

"I had swords stuck through my body," Assassin said slowly. "You don't seriously think I can recover from that so easily do you?"

"Hah... So useless," Caster complained as she looked down at her servant pityingly. "Look at Rider, one quick spell and she's fine. Why can't you be like that?"

"I'm a normal human," Assassin said, dumbfounded by Caster's choice of a comparison. "Shouldn't you be congratulating me on the fact that I'm still alive? Especially after that merciless attack you launched?"

Assassin had a point. She was covered in dirt and blood, but while most of that blood was hers the dirt was mainly from the effects of Caster's barrage against Gilgamesh. The only reason Assassin was still in one piece was that she had frantically moved as best as she could so that Gilgamesh was between her and most of the laser beams.

"Congratulations, you are still good for nothing," Caster grumbled. "Last time you let Saber in, then it was Hercules, and this time you got yourself captured. What's the point of keeping you around?"

This time Assassin couldn't even muster the words to express the deep injustice she felt at Caster's accusation. Useless? Let's see how she did any better against foes like that!

"I apologise, master," Assassin finally grated out once she had cooled down sufficiently to suppress an urge to carry out an act of rage. The chains admittedly helped here as they hindered her movements. "I shall aim to do better in the future, and shall stay at my post at all times. This means that I cannot spend time in the kitchen to make miso soup for a certain someone who can't even do that. I wonder who that might - umf!"

Assassin couldn't say anything more as Caster had slapped her hand over her mouth to stop her from talking. Having shut Assassin up, Caster quickly glanced around to see if anyone had heard, and spotted Sakura who had just turned to look at her.

"What is it Sakura, dear?" Caster asked in an overly sweet tone as she tried to hide Assassin behind her.

Sakura was a little put off by the suspiciously obvious effort on Caster's part to try and hide something, but she had other priorities to question the servant on and put that worry aside for later.

"You did promise an explanation, Caster-san," Sakura reminded Caster. "As your ally I think we deserve to know at least a little about how you brought this place into being, and what role Emiya-sempai has in all this."

"I must admit my curiosity too, Caster," Rider suddenly spoke up as she came to stand by Sakura's side. "How is it that I feel the old magic in my veins? The age of the gods is long since past, and yours is not a power that is in any way related to Chronos."

"The old magic?" Sakura said confusedly. She had no idea what her servant meant by that.

Caster appeared smug as she received the questions, and for once it looked like she was to be generous with her answers.

"I forgot that you hail from roughly the same time as I, Rider," Caster nodded her head at Rider here as if to say that she recognised a fellow in her. "I suppose that you too would feel the effects of the working strongly. To answer your question first, yes. I am no servant of Chronos, but the realm of deception is mine. All I did here was to fool the world itself."

"What do you mean?" Rider said, confused by the scale of the answer.

"A world where the gods never left, where the beasts of old remained as terrors of the world. A world where mysteries are still commonplace," Caster gestured at the foreign landscape around them. "By making the world believe in those lies within the bounds affected by my spell, I have returned this place to the age of gods. In the process I also added another lie, that this area is my homeland, but that is of little consequence. What is important is that here all of our old powers have returned in their full, as it should be."

Caster's answer was spoken light-heartedly, as if it were not too important, but the meaning of her words shocked Sakura in their significance. The closest thing she could think of that could compare to what Caster had done was a reality marble, the temporary overwriting of the world by the user's mental landscape. By its very nature however, a reality marble was doomed to destruction from the very start. The world did not permit a lie, and a lie on such a scale drew the full force of the world's corrective powers upon it. Hours at best, days if cast by some of the greatest presences on the planet, but that was all. Nor was it possible to simply replace one part of the world with another like this. You could maybe connect two small pieces of land through a portal, but that was feat that would require a mystery on the level of a True Magic, if not True Magic itself to pull off successfully. What had happened here however went far past such limits, and as far as Sakura could tell showed no signs that there was any reaction from the world at all. It was as if the world had always been like this, and a piece of the land now known as Georgia was situated here in the middle of Fuyuki, Japan.

While Sakura marvelled at the greatest piece of thaumaturgy that she had ever heard of, Assassin frowned and raised a point that had struck her when she considered Caster's explanation.

"Excuse me, Caster," she said quietly. "But did you say that all your powers have returned?"

"Yes, I did," Caster replied. "So it shouldn't matter too much if you remain as weak as you are."

Deeply insulted by the suggestion that she was weak, the woman who had lived freely in an age where women had no rights by force alone again considered murder, but decided her original concern was more important.

Looking at both Rider and caster, she said, "Forgive me if I am mistaken, but is not Hercules a servant from Greece as well?" Would he regain all his powers if he was to enter this place?"

Assassin's question instantly froze both Caster and Rider in their place. Hercules? With all of his power? It was hard enough to face him as he was now, so what would he be like if all of the powers granted to him by his demi-godhood returned?

"Caster... Did you really think this through?" Rider asked after a long pause.

"Ah... " Caster looked around frantically as she tried to think how she could have overlooked something like this. She then saw Sakura there, and calmed down somewhat. "Ah, yes, Sakura. As long as she is here we don't need to worry about Hercules."

"Me?" Sakura asked in consternation as Caster pointed to her.

"You used that spell today didn't you? All you have to to is use that spell on Hercules and we should be rid to get rid of him once and for all.

"Yes, but..." Sakura knew very well that there was no way that she could cast that spell by herself, and raised her hand with the remains of the amulet in it. "If I have to do this again I'm going to need another amulet like this."

When Caster saw the remains of the powerful mystic code she grimaced slightly. She had suspected this might happen, as it was very unlikely that a common jewel would be able to withstand the prana that had to flow through it in order to cast the spell that Sakura had learned. This didn't mean however that she didn't mourn its loss. The amulets were hard to make and the one that Sakura had ruined had been one of just three that she had managed to create with Kirika's hair and the aquamarines that she had acquired from her previous master.

"There are some spares," Caster informed her, a bit reluctantly. "I must have underestimated the strain that channeling that kind of force would exert upon the stone. Too late to change that, regretfully."

Caster sighed in regret, she didn't completely trust Sakura and was not happy that she would have to part with yet another of the amulets. She could make more for sure, but they were a potent weapon in the right hands, and Sakura had displayed a high capacity in their use.

Sakura wasn't finished, and returned the subject to her earlier question.

"Now that we know what you did and what we need to do, could you please tell us how you did all this?" Sakura reiterated her earlier question. "I realise that Emiya-sempai is involved somehow but I don't understand how that could be."

Caster picked up a hint of an emotion she didn't recognise in Sakura's voice, but answered the question readily enough.

"That girl is what allows me to do all this, dear," she told Sakura. "How something like her can exist, I don't know, but her very presence is a paradox. She shouldn't be, yet is, and is not rejected by the world. All I did was to take that paradox and reshape it, and then I used the mana of this land to stretch its effect as far as I possibly could."

"Is this something to do with her origin?" Sakura asked, confused by Caster's answer.

"I am not sure," Caster admitted. "The exact principles behind her state and being I can't explain or identify. It seems inherent to her though, so it is possible that her origin is involved."

Caster's answers were unclear, but they made it apparent that the servant herself was not sure about the why's of how her spell had worked. The effect was enough for her, and Sakura supposed the same applied for as well.

"Now, let's get back to somewhere we can all rest, shall we? It's been a tiring day."

Tired as they all were, Caster's suggestion was satisfactory for all involved. Before they departed however there was one final matter that needed to be addressed.

"Does that include me as well Caster?" Assassin asked as she got back up. Her legs were still a bit unsteady, but she could get by.

Looking at her disappointing servant, Caster sighed and said yes.

"Come along, Assassin. There isn't really any need for a gate keeper any more so take the chance to rest so that you can make yourself useful later."

"What happens if an enemy comes?" Assassin replied, with a hint of annoyance in her voice at Caster's ridiculous expectations of her. "For that matter, how do we get out of here if we need to?"

Assassin had a point, as the boundary of this world was not visible to anyone, and there was no feature that told them that it was possible to return. Sakura and Rider too became tense as they realised this, and Caster had to again diffuse any concerns.

"The only way in and out of here is through a singular door that I can identify easily enough. As for any enemies..." Caster got a devilish grin on her face. "... Let's just say that anyone who attacks the temple is in for a surprise."

-x-x-x-

Back in Fuyuki, the newly formed alliance had just made their way up to the temple grounds proper, and were flabbergasted when they could not see any signs that there were any servants around.

"Hey Archer, didn't you promise me that there was going to be a legendary battle?"

"..."

Archer wanted to reply, but had no idea what to say as he looked around at the obviously empty temple grounds.

**5-4**

"Where did they go?" Rin wondered out loud for everyone's benefit. Hers was the question that was on all of their minds as they slowly wandered through the quiet temple.

The place was not completely deserted, as the presence of the monks who normally inhabited the place suggested. These civilians however were fast asleep, and didn't appear as if they would wake any time soon. Ilya had checked both with her magecraft and by jumping atop a sleeping monk, so that was pretty much certain.

"They might have run away," said Ilya. "Did you tip them off to our plan somehow, To-baka-san?"

"I doubt it," Rin replied in a tired tone. She had chosen to ignore Ilya's continuous jibes for now rather than waste time and energy getting into a fight with childish... Child. That didn't mean that she had forgotten them though. Teaching this rude brat a lesson could wait until they had dealt with Caster.

Rin subconsciously ignored that fact there was a high chance that she would have to go against Sakura in order to settle this matter. She was going to focus solely on Caster for now, and if Sakura appeared before her... Well, there were ways to making people sit down and talk, and not just by asking them politely either.

"They can't have gone far," said Lily as she came out of a room. "The traces of battle outside were too fresh for that."

"Who were they fighting?" Archer wondered out loud. "We have four, well five, servants here, and the rest should be on Caster's side. Something doesn't add up."

"Maybe an internal dispute?" said Saber. "Caster did not seem all too trustworthy, and it is possible that she may have fallen out with Rider and her master."

The same possibility had come up in Rin's mind, and she tried not to think about what could have happened to Sakura and Kirika had such a battle occurred here. Caster would be weakened by such a dispute, but to Rin's mind the chance was not worth the risk to the two girls' lives.

A bit to the side from the rest of them, Lancer had a sour expression on his face as the command seals prevented him from shouting to the world, 'it was him!'. The conceited snob of a servant who liked to wear armor that made him stick out like a sore thumb even at night. That golden bastard with an attitude had to have been the one to invade these premises before them. It was strange that he wasn't still here, but from what little Lancer knew of that snob's strength he understood that it was possible that Caster's team had been forced to run away, and that the all too shiny servant may have followed in pursuit.

The fruitless search continued, with Rin's team going through the rooms while Lancer strode where-ever he felt like. Ilya didn't really help and decided to tour the temple atop of Berserker. By the time they all ran into each other again they had together covered most of the temple, and it was clear that Caster had vacated the premises.

"Well this turned out to bloody waste of time," Lancer grumbled as looked at Archer. "What now?"

"What do you want to do, Rin?" Archer passed the baton over to his master. "We don't seem to be having much luck just looking around like this."

"... None of you found anything?" Rin asked, just to make sure.

"Nothing, don't know what tricks they used but they didn't even leave any fresh tracks to follow," said Lancer.

"We didn't find anything either," said Saber on Lily's behalf as well. "They were definitely here until not too long ago, but..."

A dark scowl. The two swordswomen were visibly stressed out by the situation, and Rin felt much the same. As they were right now, Saber and Lily were on borrowed time. If not for Rin and Kirika's stock of gems, they would already have retired from the war, and just by moving around like this the sand in their hourglass was draining fast. If they had stayed back at the house to rest they might have been able to wait for another day, but having chosen to move tonight they either had to settle this now or fade away the next morning as Rin reached her limits.

"This is so pointless," Ilya whined as she looked down on them from Berserker's shoulder. "If Caster wasn't so annoying I would have had Berserker attack you for being so useless, To-baka."

"It's not as if you've done much to help, Einzbern," Rin lashed back. "If you don't have anything to contribute why don't you go home?"

Ilya pouted and looked away. She was being honest when she said that she hadn't attacked them because of Caster. Having been by Berserker's side during the abandoned attack last night, she was all too aware that she couldn't attack Caster by herself. It might be possible if she stayed at the Castle and sent Berserker in alone, but her control over such distances was unreliable and it was not a good idea to ever lose control of a servant such as this. That being so, she had wanted to finish off the annoying Caster alliance tonight, and maybe get rid of a few others in the process. The lack of co-operation on the witch's part however had thrown off her plans, and Ilya had seriously contemplated a return to her castle before she remembered that the kidnapped girl was one of her only leads on her true objective for this visit to Fuyuki.

... Eh? Come to think of it...

"Does this thing really work?" Ilya said doubtfully as she pulled out something from her coat pocket.

"What is it?" Rin asked when she saw the object in her hand.

"A stick?" Lily said hesitantly.

"It's an old stick," answered the Einzbern mage, making Rin's head hurt with the absurdity of the answer. "Really, that's what it is, but the old man back home insists it's some priceless artifact. Apparently it's so valuable that even after I threw it away my maids got into a panic and retrieved it without even telling me."

Ilya pouted here as if she was annoyed that her servants had gone off on their own initiative like that.

"... And how does this help us in any way?" Rin mumbled through her hand as she palmed her face in frustration.

"I'm getting to that," Ilya held up the stick, then got out something from her coat again. "According to the instructions, if you have some blood..." Ilya opened the cap on the small bottle in her hand and put a drop on the end of the stick. "... You are supposed to be able to use this stick to find anyone you are looking for, even if they are hidden by a ward on the level of a grand ceremonial rite."

Ilya whispered Kirika's name, and the stick appeared to shake in her hand before it suddenly jerked to the side.

"Is it working?" Rin asked when she saw the movement.

"I think so," replied Ilya. "But the last time I used this thing I told it to look for onii-san, and it led me to you people. So I'm not sure if it's reliable or not."

"Onii-san?" Lancer said as if puzzled. "You have a brother over here, girl?"

"Yes, I do," Ilya replied absentmindedly as she got Berserker to move in the direction the stick pointed towards. "He's adopted though. Apparently my father took him in ten years ago, and I wanted to see him this time so I got people to look for him. It's a bit strange though because he seems to have disappeared off the face of this earth five or six years ago. I got this stick sent over so that I could look for him, but it led me to a bunch of girls instead. Useless thing, you wouldn't believe how annoying it was..."

As Ilya began to narrate how the stick had led her into all sorts of bothers due to its inability to detect obstacles, Rin and Archer both winced as they went over the description of Ilya's brother in their heads. Rin winced because she wasn't sure how deeply Kirei had buried Kirika's records, and Archer winced because he wasn't sure how accurate that damned stick was. Was he going to have to raid the Einzbern castle to retrieve that thing? ... Come to think of it, did he even have to worry about his identity being blown? From what he could tell he wasn't even alive in this... Huh? Wait, Ilya had said that Emiya Shirou existed until five or six years ago. If so... Who the hell was Kirika?

The entire group was each to their own thoughts as they quietly followed Ilya as she made a beeline across the temple grounds. Existential paradoxes for Archer, worries for Kirika on the part of Rin and the two Sabers, boredom in the mind of Lancer, and nothing much going on inside Berserker's head. In front of them all Ilya was humming a slow but pleasant tune as she led them towards gods only knew what.

Eventually they came out the back of the temple, to a path that led into the mountains beyond. Rin worried for a second that they were going to have to go tramping, but Ilya changed directions at the first crossroads to head for a clifftop that overlooked the local area.

"... That's strange," Ilya said to herself when they came to the mountain top clearing.

"You sure that thing works?" asked Lancer. "You've led us to a dead end."

"It seems to be working," Ilya said as she juggled the stick in her hands. No matter what she did it ended up pointing in one direction. "Strange though, it says the person we are looking for is over there."

The little girl pointed in a direction with her fingers, and the gazes of all those nearby followed. When they saw where she pointed towards however, the expressions on everyone's face turned sour.

"Is this a joke, Ilyasviel?" hissed Rin. "There's nothing there but the cliff!"

"Hey, I said this thing is useless didn't I?" protested Ilya. "The stick says she's over there, I don't have anything to do with it!"

"Are you sure it's saying that she's there, Ilyasviel?" asked Saber. "Could it not be saying that she's somewhere in that direction?"

"That's what I thought at first," replied Ilya. "But look, when I move around it stays pointing towards that spot."

"Strange," Archer muttered as he walked over to the edge of the cliff. "I don't see anything over -."

"""Archer?"""

The trio of Rin, Saber, and Lily cried out in unison as Archer suddenly disappeared from sight.

"Huh? So there is something over there," Lancer said as a smile spread across his face. "Might have some fun tonight after all."

Without hesitation, the battle eager servant strode forwards to where Archer had disappeared, and quickly disappeared himself.

Seeing that two of the servants had passed through whatever barrier existed, Ilya decided to enter herself and ordered Berserker forth.

"Go, Berserker! It's time to take care of that - thwack - Ow!"

"■■■■■! ... ■■?"

"""..."""

Having gone forward confidently, it was hard to say whether Ilya or Rin was more surprised when the younger girl appeared to stop in mid-air as if she had run into a wall.

Red faced with pain and embarrassment, Ilya's eyes were teary as she looked accusingly at the invisible portal that had denied her entry.

"Uuuu..." Ilya suppressed an urge to blast the portal with all the prana she could muster. "Berserker, try stooping."

Berserker did as ordered, and the grey giant soon disappeared as the servants before him had. Ilya immediately followed her servant, but not before throwing a glare in Rin's direction as if daring her to say anything about her stumble.

"... Let's go shall we?" Rin said once Ilya had disappeared. She was tired, both because of the drain of having to support three servants at once and from the mental exhaustion caused by the events of these last few days.

"Yes, Rin," replied Saber as the servant of the sword steeled her resolve. No matter what lay beyond that portal, she would not allow anything to stand between her and her master.

"Here, take my hand," Lily said as she offered her left arm. "I'll keep an eye on you until we are through."

Rin nodded and took her offered grasp. Then, with Saber leading the way, they walked through the portal towards whatever trials awaited them.

-x-x-x-

A mirror within a mirror, endless reflections that led to spaces between worlds. It was a working far beyond Kirika's ability to grasp the principles of, but somehow she understood how such a thing might be possible as she watched an unfamiliar servant fall into the endless trap. No, that wasn't right. She recognised that servant. Gilgamesh, King of Heroes. How could she forget when she had attacked him in order to save Saber just the night before? Huh? No, that couldn't be right. Gilgamesh had attacked their house last night, and Ilya had nearly died... Ilya hadn't been at her house, had she? For that matter she had stayed at Rin's last night. She probably needed to get back to the house sometime soon in order to clean the place, but she had only gone there once since this Grail War started in order to get away from Rider. Why had she done that though? Rider was her ally wasn't she? Wasn't she? No, Saber had battled her on the rooftop of the Shimeya building in order to... What was going on? Why were her memories in such a mess?

The confusion in her mind broke Kirika loose from the compulsion to dream, but only so far as she could begin to form thoughts again. If anything her state was akin to that of a dreamer in REM sleep, in that she could begin to take stock of the information that even now continued to flood in, and slowly change that which she currently 'saw' in her head.

It was strange, the feeling of deja vu that she got as she went through her muddled memories. There were images here that Kirika knew that she had never seen before, but at the same time she knew that she had. Of course this didn't make sense even to herself, and Kirika took time out to despair at the lack of any proper human vocabulary that could explain how she felt right now.

"At least I don't seem to be breaking up any time soon..." Kirika mumbled as she turned her attention to the dark sky that always looked down on her world.

The cracks in the sky were still there, and the sense of fragility was stronger than ever. What had changed was that Kirika could now instinctively sense that there was something waiting to emerge from behind that crystalline facade. Yes, something would be lost in the process, but there was much more to be gained.

Distracted by the thought, Kirika's grasp upon her streams of consciousness slipped again. More images began to flash by, and soon her thoughts had been drowned out again by the chaotic babble. As awareness faded, the chains of Caster's spell reattached themselves, and Kirika once more began to be dragged back into unconsciousness. When she would wake again was uncertain, but for now, she would sleep. Somewhat like a spellbound princess waiting for a prince to free her.

Only in this case the closest person to a prince was a king, and the king was a woman. Kirika's life was funny like that.

-x-x-x-

Lancer was having the time of his life.

"This is what I came here for!" he cried out exultantly as he swung Gae Bolg in a wide arc. The weighty strike smashed the shafts of a pack of spears that had threatened to skewer him, and Lancer immediately charged into the gap in order to harvest the lives of his attackers.

"Glad you are so excited," Archer said sarcastically as he used the time that Lancer had bought to prepare a blade. "Get back a bit would you?"

Lancer noted the amount of power that Archer had gathered into place and leapt to the side towards another pack of enemies. The foes he had been facing looked at him confusedly before they noticed that Archer had been left alone. With a loud roar they raised their shields and charged the servant of the bow, expecting that a few would fall to his arrows but trusting in their speed and power to take care of him once they closed.

They were mistaken.

The missile that Archer loosed was not a mere arrow, if projectiles that punched straight through concrete walls could be called that in the first place. Glowing brighter than the sun, the twisted sword that Archer loosed from his bow smashed through the ranks of the berserk warriors and left carnage in its wake. This dreadful result however did not seem to satisfy Archer, and that was understandable. Though the attack just now had removed 7 of their enemies from the equation, about 10 or so who had been caught up in the blast only had minor wounds as they shook themselves off. There were also about a hundred more of these things charging towards him, so it was disheartening that damage that would have hindered even another servant hadn't even phased those who had survived his attack.

"Tough little blighters," Archer muttered as he summoned his blades to block an attack from one of the warriors who had snuck up to him.

The cool sea breeze that came in from the shoreline carried the coppery scent of blood as the draconian warriors continued to fall. Though stronger than before it was impossible to say that they were anywhere near the level of the servants that they had been ordered to attack. The difference showed in the number of corpses that lay on the ground, but the fight till now had been much harder than it should have been, and over twenty of them still stood defiant before them.

From their numbers, one would have judged these dragontooth warriors to be cannon fodder, but it was clear from the results of the battle up to now that these things were worlds apart from the dragontooth soldiers they had faced before. Covered in scaly flesh that guarded cords of muscle, even their appearance was a far cry from the skeletal puppets that Caster had previously sent against them. Their new bodies lent them speed and power, but not only that. They now also showed prowess with their arms, and signs of coordinated thought. Stronger, faster, smarter. How Caster had improved these things so quickly they didn't know, but it had to have something to do with the strange terrain they had found themselves in once they crossed through the unseen portal.

When they had first seen the strange landscape they had walked into, they had suspected an illusion of some sort. An elaborate trick to try and fool them into walking off the cliff, though what good that would do against a servant was debatable. It didn't take long though before they realised that this was no trick of the mind. Caster had somehow changed the world around them, and in doing so had managed to gain power far beyond what they had previously seen.

"Saber! To your left!" Lily shouted as she spotted a threat.

Saber quickly looked over her shoulder, and immediately crouched down and charged into the pack of warriors she had been facing. The sudden diving motion took the group by surprise and the dragontooth warriors allowed her to get amongst them. It couldn't be said that this was a good thing for Saber though, as she was in a bad position jammed in the middle of a group of enemies. Even if they were armed with long spears and shields, they also had short swords at the waists that they could pull out to stab her with.

It soon became obvious however as to why Saber had moved so recklessly as a huge rock slammed into the ground where she had been standing. A loud roar from the hill that overlooked there position revealed the thrower, a 5 metre tall cyclops who seemed annoyed that he had missed.

"This is insane!" Rin shouted from nearby when she spotted the one-eyed giant. "A cyclops? They were all killed over a thousand years ago!"

She herself was busy as she ran around casting gandrs at the dragontooth warriors around them. Lily was trying to make sure that none of them got close enough to threaten her, but they were so badly outnumbered that one or two would leak through and force Rin to fend for herself until Lily could get free. Rin may actually have lost her life already had they not moved to a position where their backs were covered by a large clump of boulders.

"Ew, ugly! Let's take care of those things first Berserker. Charge!"

"■■■■■■!"

Though the other servants were putting up a valiant effort it was in fact the Berserker/Ilya duo who were making the greatest impact upon this battle. With seemingly endless vigour, the tireless grey giant had taken out two or three of the dragontooth warriors with each swing of his great axe, but the emergence of monsters such as the cyclops had distracted Ilya as she ordered her servant after the beasts. This had increased the burden on the other servants but without Berserker taking care of monsters such as the great cat that had shrugged off Rin's spells like water it was entirely possible that the battle would be going much worse than it was already.

"Damn it! There's no end to them!" Archer swore as he spotted a pack of harpies flying towards them.

"What is this nonsense?" Rin cried out half in frustration and half in wonder. "Was there a bargain sale for mythical creatures that I missed?"

Creatures out of legend and a gate into another world, something out of fairy tales even for a mage like Rin. As she felt her common sense crumble, Rin was quickly realising that they had no chance if they were to keep fighting here. There seemed to be a ridiculous number of enemies around, and though the dragontooth warriors were almost all gone now the odds hadn't changed at all as monsters came from all around them to participate in the battle or feast on the fallen.

"Whoa!" Lancer dispatched the last of the dragontooth warriors before him, but had to duck as a harpy flashed by over his head. The avian beast screeched as it rose up again, but its cries changed to a squawk as a silver ray overtook it from below.

"Rin, we need to move!" Archer told his master as he nocked another arrow.

Saber and Lily were in full agreement with Archer as they looked at the harpies circling overhead. They had been fighting for a while now and they had not come more than a few steps from the portal that had led them here. With Caster and Kirika nowhere in sight they could not afford to waste time like this when they didn't even know where to look for their targets.

"Inland?" Lily asked of Saber abruptly as they took care of the last of the earthbound foes immediately before them.

"That would make sense," said Saber. "Do you see anything to suggest otherwise, Rin?"

"Nothing," Rin replied. "Maybe if I had some time to do some scrying, but I don't have the tools for that right now."

"What does it matter?" Lancer said as he eyed the terrain. "This place can't be that big, and we don't really have much choice anyway."

"Huh?" Archer turned his head to look at Lancer along with everyone else. "What do you mean?"

Lancer shrugged helplessly. "Well, we can't let them go off alone can we?"

He pointed in a certain direction with his lance, and they all saw Berserker charging up the hills towards the inner part of this land.

"Oh for..." Rin palmed her face. "Ilyasviel! Wait for us!"

Just at that moment, the harpies took advantage of Archer's distraction to dive down and attack them.

-x-x-x-

A few kilometres away, at the temple which lay at the heart of this domain, Caster and the others were watching Rin and the others approach through Caster's pool of scrying.

"As expected, the monsters are barely slowing Hercules down," commented Caster as she focused on the most dangerous of the threats.

She didn't sound terribly put out by this, and there was no reason for her to be. The creation of such monsters was a pleasant side effect of maintaining this domain, and she had never included them in her original plans. They were serving their purpose remarkably though as they continued to pester the band of heroes from above and below. Berserker was an exception, but just tiring the others out like this was more than she could have hoped for.

"How many more of those dragontooth warriors do you have left?" Rider asked as she saw another group of them get slaughtered by Saber and Lily.

"Enough," Caster told her. "From what we've seen so far they should be able to hold the others back for long enough to deal with Berserker. If Assassin had been able to go out with the first lot there would be a lot more left, but..."

Caster looked accusingly at her own servant, to which the graceful woman responded with a sigh.

"I'm very sorry, but I wasn't ready then," said Assassin, whose legs had only just recovered fully. "That is unless you preferred to keep a few more of those mindless dolls in return for my life."

Caster appeared to seriously consider the option, and Assassin once again wondered why she had to be summoned by a master like this.

"It's unfortunate that the spell seems incapable of summoning any true phantasmal beasts," Rider said to draw Caster's attention back to the matter at hand. "My child was hurt during the last fight, and I don't think that he will be able to stay around for long even if I do summon him."

"That is unfortunate," said Caster, who had witnessed first hand the power of Rider's pegasus. Not being able to use the steed decreased their firepower by a large margin, and with Saber's high anti-magic and the noble phantasms that they were all bound to have, it was hard to say whether they could take care of them safely.

"... Rider, does it matter what kind of phantasmal beast it is?" Caster asked as she suddenly remembered something.

Rider looked at her curiously. "No, not as long as it can support my weight. Why do you ask?"

Caster smiled as she heard her answer. "Just something to consider during the battle. Sakura dear, are you ready?"

A short distance away from them, Sakura opened her eyes and nodded. She had been meditating in order to get herself into an optimal condition for the role she now had to play. Such preparation was needed because of the huge strain that the spell that she needed to cast put upon her body and mind. Just a small mistake could cause her to fail, and that was not acceptable when they had no second chances.

"Ready when you are, Caster-san," she said as she carefully did not look in the pool which showed Rin and the others as they ran through up a grassy hill.

A little ways apart from her, Kuzuki finished his own preparations. His glasses were carefully stowed away in a case, and he put on the gloves that Caster had created for him in order to reinforce his strikes. Not much more needed to be done, as Kuzuki always lived ready to switch to a killing machine in an instant.

Seeing that they were ready, Caster waved her hand, and the view in the pool changed to bring Berserker into focus. They were just in time to see him squeeze a wolf into pulp, tossing the remains behind him as he continued to run towards the temple.

"Time to go out and greet our guest," Caster said calmly, ignoring the bloody scene. Her voice betrayed none of the disbelief that filled her mind as she wondered how it had come by that she was about to fight against Hercules, again.

-x-x-x-

When Caster finally appeared before them Saber immediately ran forward to take her down. She and Lily had agreed on this point earlier, hoping that they might be able to take the witch by surprise and end the fight quickly. Before she could reach Caster however a sense of danger made her stop and bring up her sword. Instantly, a somewhat familiar sword clashed with her own, and Saber frowned as she recognised the formidable Assassin they had seen the last time they were here.

"My, my, you look unhappy to see me, Saber-san," Assassin said in an amused voice as she spied Saber's expression.

"I don't have time for you right now Assassin," Saber said abruptly. "Step aside."

"I apologise, but I'm afraid I can't do that," Assassin replied with a smile. This was more like it. No arrogant servants who treated swords like arrows, and no giants who ignored every strike she could throw, just a one-on-one battle between her and another sword wielder.

Unfortunately for Assassin, Saber was in a hurry, and quickly released the bounded wind around her blade in a huge blast of air that sent the surprised servant flying back. With the hurricane force winds roaring around her, Saber was able to create a short opportunity to strike directly at her main target, and charged forward once again. Twenty meteres, ten, five, one. Having closed the distance between them in a few steps, Saber swung her blade in order to cleave Caster in two, but was unable to do so as yet another person intervened.

With a metallic clang Excalibur was knocked from its trajectory. It was hard to believe that the sound came from a fist meeting metal, but reinforced by Caster's spells as they were, Kuzuki's hands were deadly weapons that he used to good effect.

A whiplash blow flashed inside Saber's guard, and was barely defended against at the cost of a heavy shock to her arm. Memories of their previous encounter kicked in, and Saber closed the distance and shoulder charged Kuzuki instead of giving him the distance to use his strange fighting style. Armored and boosted by prana, the power of Saber's charge was not to be thought of lightly, and Kuzuki wisely backed away. By this time though Caster had already risen into the air and was casting spells as Assassin marked Archer to prevent him from shooting any arrows.

The change in Assassin's assignment had come quickly after Saber's release of Invisible Air. Rider had moved to meet Lancer halfway, but this had left Archer free at the back as Lily took care of the dragontooth warriors that had just arrived. Before Archer could get off any proper shots though, Assassin had flashed in beside him and nearly bisected him with a stroke of her sword. If Assassin had been able to use Tsubame Gaeshi, Archer would have been taken out then and there, but she had been off balance after Saber's surprise and didn't have time to ready herself before she attacked. It was also impossible for her to use it now, because Archer continued to keep pressure on her with the twin swords he had summoned. It was possible that he had learned about her special attack from Lily, and it appeared that he was going to make sure that she was unable to use it.

As Assassin considered using Tsukikage again to get back to Kuzuki's side, Lancer had clashed with Rider to find that she was a lot stronger than he remembered.

"Oi, oi. Were you playing around last time?" he asked as he blocked a long range attack by Rider's nail.

"Playing around?" Rider said in a bemused voice. "No more than you were."

Speed, power, and the prana to fuel it all. Rider was a very different servant as she was now compared to when she had been under Shinji's control, especially with her eye mask removed. Lancer too however was different from their last fight, as he had no more restrictions upon him that prevented him from dancing with death. Even burdened by Rider's eyes, there was a sharpness to his attacks that had been missing in their last encounter, and a sense of wild abandon about his movements that promised the use of every ounce of power he could muster and more.

As Rider and Lancer clashed, a ray of destructive purple light flashed overhead towards Berserker as Caster released the first of the spells in her arsenal. The beam was followed by another, then another, then more and more until a shower of beams had impacted upon the giant. Despite having released enough spells at Berserker and his master to level a fortress, Caster did not let down her guard and immediately prepared another spell.

Caster's caution was wise, for as the smoke parted Berserker's broad chest was visible. Pink flesh visible here and there told of the damage that had been done, but the color soon faded as Berserker's noble phantasm returned him to his former untouched state. Ilya was fine too. Sheltered behind Beserker's massive body, she had been able to block out the splash damage from Caster's attack easily enough and was now eager to get back some of her own.

"Buuu! Not again!" Ilya pouted as she realised that Berserker couldn't reach Caster while she was in the air like that. "To-baka-san! Get your servant free already!"

"Why don't you help him then?" Rin cried out as she got out on of the ten gems she had saved to see her through the Grail War. This was the sixth one, and after this she would only have four left, but with the Dragontooth Warriors pressing her and Lily on all sides she had no choice.

"_Sechs_!" Rin called out the release order on the gem as she threw it at the group of warriors immediately before her. Parting with the rare Kashmir Sapphire was like a stab to her heart and wallet, but it was better than parting with her own life.

As soon as Rin used the trigger word, the sapphire exploded in a burst of boreal air. Creating a zone of near absolute zero temperatures, the dragontooth warriors caught in its effects slowed down rapidly, and then finally froze into frost-covered statues that had the life removed from them.

The annihilation of the foes to one side of her gave Lily time to think on her next action. There were still many of the dragontooth warriors left, but most of them were around her and Saber. Caster appeared to be counting on their numbers to keep her occupied until she could take care of Berserker, and probably also to drain what little power she had left. If so, she was right in that she and Saber would not have much energy left after they dealt with all of these one by one. They could not use Caliburn of Excalibur either, because the drain on their prana by those noble phantasm releases would cut their time even shorter. In that case, there was only one choice that Lily could make.

"I didn't want to use this here," she muttered as she raised her sword. "_Clarent_!"

Once again, Lily's awoke her second noble phantasm and summoned its silver flames. Compared to the last time she had used it however, the flames were a lot smaller. Whereas before they had consumed Lily's surroundings and made a pillar that reached the heavens, it was now hard for Lily to even wipe out half of the warriors around herself as a wave of fire rolled out from her. This was as expected, and Lily simply grit her teeth and released another wave that blazed through most of the remainder. After these two attacks there weren't very many of the dragontooth warriors left in front of her. Their magic defence was barely at the level of a talisman, and while their scales offered some extra protection they were still inadequate to handle a B rank noble phantasm.

Lily however did not look very happy as she dismissed Clarent's flames. Her displeasure came from the fact that Clarent was a limited use noble phantasm, the power of which decreased with every use. Originally at the level of an A- phantasm, it had already dropped to a rank of C+. The flames were now so weak that they would only be able to strike a few targets at most, and their destructive potential was also much lower as evidenced by the smaller scorch marks on the dragontooth warriors who had been at the back of those who had received her second attack. If possible she wouldn't have used it here against such foes, but with her prana so limited the costless phantasm had been her only choice.

The massacre of many of their fellows had turned the attention of the remaining dragontooth warriors towards Lily. Many of those who had been attacking Saber now rushed towards the swordswoman in white, and Saber's situation became much better for it.

It couldn't be said that the presence of allies was absolutely necessary for Kuzuki, but Saber had already seen his fighting style once before and had adapted her defence to deal with it. The press of enemies around her however had meant that she couldn't attack without leaving herself open, and Kuzuki had used that advantage to turn what would have been a defensive battle into an offensive one. Weaving in and out of the packs of dragontooth warriors, he had delivered heavy punches when Saber least expected it, and from logically impossible angles. Despite her earlier experience Saber had not been able to catch them all, and showed a few bloody marks for it.

Now that her surroundings were freed up however, Saber had begun to retake the initiative, and Kuzuki began to fall back as he used the remaining dragontooth warriors as both weapon and shield against his opponent.

Over on caster's side, the battle was turning against the servant of the staff as the situation below changed. Berserker had charged into the battle between Archer and Assassin, and this had allowed the servant of the bow to begin to attack her. Archer too was somewhat limited in his options due to Rin's currently low prana supply, but his ordinary arrows were deadly enough. Caster could not let down her guard anyway as she didn't know what kind of noble phantasms he wielded. With Assassin's attention mostly taken up with distracting Berserker and her own spells now hard to cast as she defended against Archer, it was hard to argue that she was not at a disadvantage.

As she fought against Lancer, Rider had noticed the change in the tides of battle, and she was not alone. Lancer too was experienced enough in war that he could pick up the flow, and he smiled at his opponent as he pressed her back with rapid jabs from his spear.

"Not long now," he told her. "So how about we settle this quickly?"

Rider didn't have to wonder what he was on about as Lancer's mood suddenly changed. Whereas he had been somewhat relaxed until now, the air about him was now so sharp as to be almost painful to a watcher. As this suddenly much more serious opponent slowly stepped back and lowered the point of his spear and impending sense of doom filled Rider. She didn't have instinct as a skill, but her own instincts as a former goddess were enough to tell her that something was coming.

Just as the sense of danger about Lancer grew stronger, Rider's eyes met those of Assassin as she danced around another attack from Berserker. The Japanese swordswoman was as yet nearly untouched, but it was clear that there was no way for her to counter-attack against this giant. Maybe if she could reach Ilya, but Tsukikage only allowed her to move in a flat line, and with Ilya on Berserker's shoulder she would have to stop beside him and jump slightly in order to reach her. With Berserker more powerful than ever, that slight pause would be enough to see her killed.

Assassin couldn't hurt Berserker, and Rider was worried about Lancer. Their situations being self-explanatory, there was no need for communication between Rider and Assassin as they came to agreement on their next actions.

"_Gae_ - huh?"

"_Bellerephon_!"

"■■■■-!"

Lancer was forced to cancel the use of his noble phantasm mid-way as Assassin suddenly appeared before him. In that instant Rider summoned her trusted steed, and a brilliant white light tore Berserker's right torso apart as it blew past him and up into the sky.

Archer too was nearly trampled by Rider as she passed by. He wasn't a servant for nothing though, and managed to get off a few shots at the enemy servant as he dodged to the side. Normal attacks like that however had little effect on a beast whose defensive power was among the highest of all those who were here.

With Archer temporarily distracted, Caster took the chance to fire a barrage of spells at him. She prioritised him over Berserker for now as he had proven to be an annoyance, and also because preparations had almost been completed to take out Berserker. All she needed to do now was keep firing spells to spread her presence over the battlefield.

Having been struck once by Rider's steed, there was little that Berserker now had to fear from Rider. Ilya however was a different story, and Rider exploited Berserker's weak point and targeted the little girl mage. Each time she did, Berserker was there and she was forced to pull away, but in doing so she kept him occupied. She occasionally took the time to threaten Archer as well, and this allowed Caster to occasionally cast larger spells and keep those below busy as they dealt with the effects in their own way.

Aside from this mess, Assassin and Lancer were engaged in a fierce duel. Both servants had confidence in their speed, and Assassin was matching Lancer's higher strength with her technique. Tsukikage was also a joker here, as there was no delay involved in its use. This allowed Assassin to claim the advantage, and Lancer was forced on the defensive with no time to use his phantasm. In order to keep up this state of affairs however Assassin needed to keep on the attack, and this meant that she could not use Tsubame Gaeshi. With both sides unable to use their trump cards, the tension between them continued to rise with the tempo of their exchanges.

A deadlock of sorts, but one that was quickly broken down. The break came when Rider charged down at Archer once more, and forgot to keep an eye on Berserker. She had gotten close to the ground when a sudden impact rocked her and her steed. So great was it that Rider was thrown off, to land heavily on the trampled grass below. A loud whinny filled the air as she shook off the shock, and when Rider quickly turned to find out what had caused her to crash like this her eyes visibly widened in surprise at the sight of Berserker squeezing the life out of her mount.

"Berserker!" Rider screamed with fury evident in her voice. A malevolent aura rose up around Rider as the loss of the child she had birth released the chains on her suppressed monstrous powers.

Fuelled by her rage, Rider lashed out at Berserker with her nails, but to little effect. It may have been different had she completely awakened her powers from legend, but limited to her form as she was, Rider could only draw on a fraction of the powers that she had once wielded as the horror in the east. With that level of power there was little chance she could do more than scratch a body that could have shrugged off armour piercing rounds from a tank. Recognising this she changed tactics so as to wrap her chain about Berserker's neck to choke him, but this wasn't a tactic she would have chosen had she been more cool-headed.

It was a testament to the boost in Rider's power that she even managed to stagger Berserker for a step, but he soon recovered and jerked his head back.

"■■■■■■!"

Rider was almost pulled into Berserker's grasp as Berserker ignored the choke and used her chain to draw her in. She let go at the last minute, but in doing so was left close to Berserker with no weapons to speak of.

"■■■■!"

"Tch!" Rider clicked her tongue and hurriedly dashed away from Berserker to evade his wild swing, but was unable to get far. Berserker's agility was close to hers, and she could barely keep beyond his attacks as she ran around.

Rider's grounding came just as Rin's team began to control the battle once more. Free from Rider's harassment, Archer had Caster checked as he shot down her attempts to cast any spells that required her to speak more than one word. This was not too great a barrier for Caster due to her use of divine words, but it prevented her from doing anything about Berserker. Over on Saber's side too Kuzuki had been forced to retreat, leaving the last few dragontooth warriors to hinder Saber's pursuit.

Lily had also finished off the last of the dragontooth warriors that threatened her and Rin, and she was about to help Saber finish Kuzuki when her sixth sense warned that something was wrong. As a veteran of many battles, Lily had kept tabs on the general flow of events even as she fought, and experience told her that they were winning. So what was the problem? Looking around she saw nothing that she could attribute as a cause for her worries, and it took her a while to work out what was missing from the picture.

"Rin, where's Sakura?" Lily asked of her temporary master.

Rin had been taking a short break after Lily had finished up the dragontooth warriors. She had not done much after her last big spell, but the strain of maintaining three servants as they battled was more than enough of a burden to tire her. When Lily's question penetrated the haze in her head though, she blinked and looked around. Rin remembered catching sight of Sakura briefly when Caster had teleported in with the rest of her team, but could not see her now. Where had she gone?

Lily frowned as Rin shrugged and began to look around the battlefield. She didn't know why she was so worried about a young mage like Sakura, but her instincts warned that it was important. Rin's safety was her most immediate concern, as it wasn't out of the question that they might try to assassinate her, but this didn't appear to be the case. She could feel nothing around them, and it was highly unlikely that Sakura could conceal her presence better than Assassin.

She continued to look around the battlefield, and it was at the same time as Rin that she spotted the elusive mage. By that time however it was already too late.

-x-x-x-

"_Gefängnis von Spiegeln_!"

It was the second time that Sakura was casting this spell, but it remained as difficult to control as ever. Nevertheless, with the help of the amulet in her hand she managed, and as with the first time banished an enemy from sight.

When the wall of hazy air appeared around Berserker, the servant roared as he tried to get free. This time however the trap closed in one him from all sides, and Berserker's roar was cut off halfway as space rippled and swallowed him up.

"... Berserker?" Sakura heard Ilya whisper from where she stood.

The sudden disappearance of the most formidable servant present had brought the battlefield to a stop as Rin's side gaped in shock and Caster's team pulled back to regroup. Rider came to Sakura as she retreated, and together they waited for Caster to come to ground.

"Nice work dear," Caster congratulated Sakura as she landed. "With Berserker gone our task is a lot easier."

"Good riddance," Assassin sighed. "I was getting sick of that giant."

"It's too early to relax yet," Rider reminded them. "We still need to settle things with them."

She pointed to Saber and the other servants, who had recovered from their shock and now readied themselves to attack once more. Berserker's 'loss' was a blow, but with the dragontooth warriors now all gone, and Rider's mount already destroyed it was still more than an even battle for them.

"Yes, which is why I told you to come back here for a bit," said Caster. "Here Rider, you can use this can't you?"

"... Is that what I think it is?" Rider asked when she saw what Caster held.

"This cursed thing? Probably," Caster confirmed Rider's suspicions as she handed over the golden fleece. "It is mine after all."

Knowing its legend, Rider could use the fleece, but for some reason she looked apprehensive.

"Caster," Rider addressed the other servant. "I can summon the dragon, but you don't expect me to control it do you?"

"Can't you?"

Caster looked surprised by Rider's question.

"Of course not," Rider replied. "I can tame most things with Bellerephon but a dragon is a higher mystery than I can manage. I can use Bellerephon on it, yes, but it will just ignore my commands."

"Oh, is that the problem?" Caster smiled in relief. "That's no concern. Just summon him please."

While they spoke, the enemy servants had gotten fully ready, and now approached them. If they were going to do anything, they had to do it fast.

"If you say so..." Rider said, still uncertain.

Holding up the nail that she had retrieved after Berserker disappeared, Rider stabbed herself in her left hand, and dribbled blood onto the fleece. Immediately, a golden light flared forth from the ancient sheepskin, and the air above Rider's head began to twist and turn in presage of something's arrival.

-x-x-x-

"Don't forget to keep an eye out on Sakura, Lily," Archer said as the four servants still left on his side prepared to renew the battle. "She looks tired, but if it seems like she is about to -... What the hell is that?"

All those gathered there could feel the weight of a presence entering the area. It was an oppressive sensation that they had never felt before, and they were all put on guard by the size of the distortion that had appeared in the air above Caster and Rider.

Archer and Lancer steeled themselves in preparation for battle with whatever it was that might emerge, but Saber and Lily appeared puzzled and astonished as they looked at the forming shape.

"... It can't be..." Saber murmured as she felt something move inside of her.

"You too?" Lily asked of Saber, and got a nod in return.

"What is it?" Rin asked them, as they appeared to have an idea what was about to happen.

Saber and Lily looked pained as they turned to look at her, and it was not long before Rin found out why.

"Well, if we are not wrong, Caster just summoned..." Lily began to explain, but before she could finish a deafening cry filled the air.

It was a sound that filled all animals with a primeval fear, an announcement to the world that terror had returned to the land. At the same time as their ears were assaulted by it cry, the presence they had felt grew stronger, until it felt as if a weight had settled about them. Rin and Ilya were the worst affected, and were almost on their knees as they fought against the terror that had suddenly encroached upon their minds. The servants too were more than slightly disturbed by the feeling, and it soon became obvious why.

Slitted eyes that struck fear into those they spied, a scaled snout that puffed out poisonous air, and countless jagged teeth that filled a mouth that looked as if it could swallow a bus whole. All on a bronze scaled body that towered above the mere humans that had dared to summon it forth into the world.

Saber and the other servants were struck deaf as they saw their new opponent. When Archer recovered and opened his mouth, the heartfelt protest that came forth summed up their collective feelings exactly.

"... A dragon?" Archer mumbled in disbelief. "A real, fucking, dragon? Are you kidding me?"


	6. Chapter 6

**5-5**

Dragons. Symbols of power since ancient times, the legends associated with them varied from one part of the world to another. While in the East they were often portrayed as wise creatures that helped those humans that found their favour, the general image in the West was that of a greedy beast that lived only to satisfy its base instincts. The dragon summoned by Caster and Rider was an entity somewhere in the middle of those two extremes. An ancient spirit that was bound to the Colchis royal family, the great serpent had both the intelligence and the power to justify its position as a king among phantasmal beasts.

"Krrrrrrrrraaw!"

The ear-splitting roar the beast let out as it touched ground with its clawed feet shook the air, but Caster seemed indifferent to the theatrics and merely smiled as she walked closer to it.

"Greetings, child of Typhon," Caster said as she drew close enough to almost touch the dragon. "It has been a long time."

"Krrrr?"

The dragon turned its head to see who spoke, and appeared to tilt its head in surprise when it saw Caster. Then, with no warning at all, the dragon was consumed in a golden light. When the dazzling prominence disappeared, a lilac haired youth stood where the dragon had been, and he quickly walked over to stare at Caster as if she was an animal in a zoo.

"Hmmm... She looks real," the young man muttered as he looked Caster up and down. "Same suspicious air about her as well."

Caster allowed the examination to go on for a while, but eventually lost her patience. "What are you doing, Arco?"

"Eh? You know my nickname too?" the young man's eyes widened. "Is that really you, Medea?"

Medea, princess of Colchis and holder of the position of Caster in this Grail War, closed her eyes and sighed in exasperation.

"Who did you think it was, Arco?" she asked. "Do you know anyone else that looks like me?"

Arco shook his head. "No, but you have to understand that it has been a long time. I didn't think you humans lived that long." Arco then stopped and frowned. "Wait, you are a ghost?"

"Something of the sort," Caster conceded as she tried to cut the questioning session short. "Right now however I would like to request your help."

"... Eh..." Arco looked at Caster doubtfully. "Wait a second, if you are dead, why should I listen to you?"

"Caster, watch out!" Rider suddenly shouted.

Caster was about to answer Arco's question when the dragon's head was rocked by a heavy impact, and an explosion covered the area in smoke and flame.

The perpetrator behind this attack, Archer nocked an arrow as he wondered how much damage he had just done with that shot from Caladbolg II. It had been a direct impact to the side of the head with a released broken phantasm that he had poured most of his spare prana into, and since he was in a human form it had to have done some damage. Right? Even if the thing was a phantasmal beast that was said to have defences that could shrug off almost anything short of A rank noble phantasms...

... Now that he thought about it, he should have gone for Caster.

When the smoke began to clear however, it was soon apparent that Archer's sneak attack had only served to enrage the beast.

"Are those the pests you wanted help with, Medea?" Arco asked of Caster in a voice that dripped malice as he covered the left side of his face with his hand. The skin on the left side of his face was scorched and raw, and his hair had been burned off. In terms of real damage however, there was little to show from an attack that could have punched a hole through a castle. Caster too was relatively unhurt but for a few scorch marks here and there. She had not been the target of the attack, and Rider's warning had allowed her to put up a barrier in time to catch most of the explosion's force.

"Yes, Arco," Caster coughed as she inhaled some smoke. "Though I also have another favour to ask as the princess of Colchis."

"What is it?" Arco asked without turning to look at her.

"If you would be so kind, please allow Rider here to use you as a mount," Caster said as politely as possible.

"What?" Arco's face twisted as he looked at her.

"I ask this as one of the blood of Helios," Caster replied forcefully without any sign of wilting in front of the dragon's obvious displeasure. "Allow Rider to use you as a mount."

"Krrrrr..."

Even in his human form, the dragon's growl would have cowered most beings, but Caster was confident in the oath sworn by him upon the waters of the Styx. Had this been Ryudouji temple she might not have been so overbearing, but in this land where the name of the old gods had renewed force, such a promise could override any resistance.

Feeling the bonds upon him, Arco gave one last growl of displeasure before he returned to this draconic form. Caster then nodded to Rider, who gingerly stepped up to the great serpent. Arco fixed her with one of his slitted yellow eyes as she drew near, but reluctantly bent down so that she could come atop him.

On the other side of the field, Rin's team was having an urgent discussion as the prospect of having to battle a dragon drew ever closer.

"Ilya, can't you use a command spell to get Berserker back here?" Rin asked first of all.

Ilya looked like she was about to cry as she shook her head. "I tried, but it's as if the command spell can't get through to Berserker. He's not dead, but I can't get to him."

Rin palmed her face. It was just so typical. The one time where she would have welcomed Berserker's presence, he gets shunted off to somewhere not even the Grail could reach.

"Just keep trying then," Rin told Ilya as she gave up on that idea. "Saber, Lily, are you still good to go?"

"We are fine, but..." Saber looked at Rin uneasily. "Is it safe for you and Ilyasviel to stay here? I am not sure that we can both protect you and fight with the dragon. Especially when you are so tired, Rin."

Lily nodded in agreement with Saber. Rin looked like she had gone two nights without sleep, and with three servants connected to her, she was not about to get better any time soon.

"Whatever you decide to do girls, do it quick," warned Lancer. "Looks like they are ready to come at us."

Lancer's tense but excited voice only told them what the servants had already sensed for themselves. Having lived on the battlefield for much of their lives, they could feel the change in the air as their opponents decided to restart the fight.

"Well, at least the dragon seems to wounded," Archer commented as he looked at the serpent's face. One eye was covered over with burn marks, and the scales were missing from that side of the beast's head.

"It does make things slightly easier," Lily agreed. "Let us hope that it's enough."

"I don't know about you, but I've never really cared about the odds," said Lancer. "Now, I would call for rights to the dragon, but it looks like the lady over there wants a word with me."

Lancer pointed towards Assassin, who returned the gesture with a smile.

"If you manage to defeat her, you are welcome to the beast," Archer grumbled.

"I'll take that offer," Lancer grinned. "Happy hunting all."

Gaze sharpening, Lancer dashed forwards towards Assassin to resume their duel. At the same moment, the dragon let out a loud roar as Rider urged its huge bulk forward. With that the others began to move as well, Saber and Lily going forward to meet the great beast, as Archer prepared to harass Caster again even as he kept an eye on the various masters on the field. The second round had begun in earnest, and it now only remained for the victors to be decided.

-x-x-x-

It was odd being the only person inside her head, Kirika mused as she woke up again.

... Wait, that didn't sound right. She was lonely, not nuts. Or was she? It wasn't normal for someone to separate their awareness from their mental landscape, and it couldn't be said that your average human being would have cause to be alone in their own minds like this. On the other hand, if she wasn't alone in her own mind, who else would be here? It wasn't as if this was a public park for anyone to intrude upon as they pleased. If she did allow someone else in here though, would that -.

... And there she was about to drift off again. It was hard to maintain an ordered stream of thought for some reason. It may have had something to do with the fact that she seemed to be trapped in her own mind, but she couldn't be sure. Just as she couldn't be sure which of the myriad range of memories that she had access to was 'hers'.

Things were a bit more organised now, and the various images no longer appeared as a chaotic jumble, but as globes of light that she could call upon to view. The only problem was, there were so many of them that her mind looked like somebody had taken the stars from the heavens and brought them down to earth. It was impossible for Kirika to tell which of these belonged to herself, for she was certain that most did not. Her certainty was based on the fact that the few that she had looked over were too different in the way that events played out. In one she had seen herself die at Lancer's hands, and in another she had caught sight of herself in the mirror only to see a strangely familiar young man. What made things even more frustrating was that every time she looked at one of these things, some of the memories from them were absorbed into her, making it even harder to identify the true past that she sought.

To sit here helplessly, or lose herself in an endless sea of possibilities. Unable to make a choice, Kirika could only sigh, and pray for something to change.

-x-x-x-

Until today Sakura had not quite understood what it meant for figures out of legend of clash. As a somewhat capable mage in her own right, she had held a vague idea of the kind of powers that the Grail War involved, but had wondered how effective swords and spells could be compared to the fruits of science. Such doubts had begun to flicker when she saw Berserker's unbelievable display of brutal power during his earlier visit, and were now completely dispelled by the awesome sight of seven superhuman heroes and one mythical creature going at each other with all the powers they could muster.

Spell barrages that put artillery battalions to shame swept the battlefield as Caster unleashed a small part of the magics that had allowed her to claim her position as the most famous witch in Greek legend. A rain of silver bolts split the air in return as the unidentifiable Archer that her sister had summoned disrupted Caster's casting in order to prevent any spells from reaching the two masters that stood a ways behind him. In the midst of this chaos the two Sabers danced a precarious waltz with a monstrous partner as they attempted to deal with the dragon that Rider now rode. Sakura's own servant was not doing much to control her steed, and instead was allowing him to run wild as she focused on restricting the movements of the two enemy swordswomen. This was more than enough though, as the dragon showed why his species was regarded as the most powerful of the phantasmal beasts that had once walked the earth with powerful blows of his tail and claws that shook the earth and rent deep gashes in the soil.

Closer to Sakura, a less eye-catching but just as intense struggle was going on as Lancer and Assassin tried to settle the duel that they had begun earlier. The two servants had come to the side of the battlefield for this to avoid the spells that were being tossed around as they didn't enjoy the high magic resistance of some of their fellows. It would have been a shame for their fight to be interrupted by a stray blast, and now that they didn't have to worry about it too much they were going at each other in full force.

With her inexperienced eye, it was impossible for Sakura to tell who had the advantage as Assassin and Lancer filled the space between them with a flurry of sparks. In a typical duel it was unthinkable for so many exchanges to occur in such a short space of time, but this was no longer a simple fight. Having clashed once, there was an unspoken question between Assassin and Lancer that needed to be settled. The first to give an inch of ground would be the loser, and neither of the two was known for their willingness to accept a loss. With their pride on the line the two servants now battled to prove that they were faster, more skilled, and simply a better fighter than their opponent.

The chiming of metal upon metal seemed like it might go on forever, but the end came quite abruptly.

A slight tremble in Lancer's form, mayhap caused by the noise of one of Caster's spells savaging the earth nearby. The delay it created between one of her movements and the next was almost non-existent, but Assassin found the gap it created with ease. Flickering inside Lancer's defence, Assassin's blade bit into her opponent's left shoulder and forced Lancer to retreat or be overwhelmed by Assassin's follow up. Jumping far back, Lancer got far away enough that Assassin decided not to immediately give chase. Taking the opportunity to examine his wound, Lancer's face scrunched up into a frown as he felt the cut hinder the movements of his left arm.

"Damn it," Lancer cursed as he realised his loss.

"I guess the first round goes to me, Lancer," Assassin said with a faint smile. "What say you that we stop playing now?"

"As you wish," Lancer said in a somber tone.

At first Sakura couldn't understand what they meant when they said they would get serious, as it had been clear to anyone with eyes that the two servants had been going at each other with all the strength they could muster. She soon understood what they meant though when Assassin began to flicker from sight as she used Tsukikage to eat up the distance between her and Lancer.

The short range teleportation that Tsukikage granted Assassin meant that she could attack Lancer from one side, and then immediately attack him from the opposite side. It was a simple rule of physics that a person who had just blocked an attack from one side could not effectively then block one from the opposite side an instant later, and most warriors would have fallen in a few seconds of Assassin using Tsukikage. Lancer however was not one of the most famous heroes of Ireland for nothing, and though he continued to allow Assassin to strike him, he reacted quickly enough that the damage was minimal at best. This did not mean that he could ignore her strikes, but he could continue to fight, and wait for a chance to strike back.

Which came quickly enough.

As Assassin attacked, Lancer had been charging his spear with prana. This process took far longer than usual as he was fighting at the same time, but that was unavoidable if the only other option was to leave himself defenceless against one of the greatest masters of the sword in history. His patience eventually paid off, and now that the point of his spear glowed red with a full seventh of his prana, Lancer got ready to unleash upon Assassin the cursed attack that had killed his son.

"Gae-."

Sensing danger, Assassin stopped as she flash into attack range and quickly flashed back out to Lancer's opposite side. It had been obvious to her that Lancer was getting ready to use his noble phantasm, and her action was logically the best she could have taken. Any large attack left a gap in the attacker's defence, and Assassin took take advantage of this to set up a critical blow. The noble phantasm was a slight worry, but she had decided it was worth the risk. Lancer's noble phantasm was a spear after all, and no matter how fast an attack from a mundane weapon was there was only one direction it could go in. If she kept flash stepping around him there was no way that the attack could hit her.

Assassin's confidence came from her experience, for it was far from the first time that she faced someone who wielded a spear. In this case however her experience betrayed her. No matter how legendary a swordswomen she was, Assassin was used to facing more mundane opponents than the other servants. Magic and magecraft, though not completely unfamiliar, were things that were used by mages, not other warriors. Her abilities were on a comparable level to the True Magics, yes, but since they were a result of her own pure efforts she did not associate that with what she might find on the battlefield.

"- Bolg!"

Needless to say, Lancer was not your average human, and his spear was not your mundane hunk of metal on a stick.

To Assassin, it was a lightning bolt out of a blue sky. Only Sakura who was watching from the sideline fully saw what happened, and even she had trouble believing what she saw. Assassin had clearly disappeared the moment Lancer shouted his attack, and had reappeared in the opposite direction from the one that he thrust his spear out at. Why was it then, that Sakura could remember seeing a bolt of jagged red lightning snake back around Lancer and hit Assassin who was behind him?

"Ah..." Assassin gasped as the point of the spear tore into her abdomen, and then flashed out of sight again to reappear at a point far away from Lancer. There, she fell to one knee due to the wound, but kept firm hold of her sword as she kept her eyes on Lancer.

Despite the fact that he had heavily wounded Assassin, Lancer's frown refused to disappear as he stared between his spear and his opponent.

"Lucky, aren't you?" he snarled, angry that his sure-kill attack had failed to live up to standards.

"Disgustingly so," Assassin replied cheekily, grinning past the pain that clutched her belly worse than even any period cramps she could remember. An odd thing to think in the middle of a battle, but that was the closest experience she had with a pain like this and her periods were truly painful when they were bad. The fact that she had died in her last duel had more to do with the fact that her feminine nature had betrayed her that day than any lack of skill on her part.

"Tch," Lancer clicked his tongue as the duel drew into a stand-off again.

For himself, Lancer was torn up all over from the numerous cuts Assassin had inflicted on him, and his form-hugging armor was more red than its original blue. Assassin was in a superficially much better condition, but the deep hole in her belly had quickly stained her kimono red and made it difficult for her to move.

While Assassin and Lancer eyed each other in preparation for what would be the final round between them, the battle had taken on an interesting turn on the other side of the field. Rider had taken to the air upon the dragon, and despite Archer's best efforts to keep her at bay she now released the full power within Bellerephon to turn her serpentine steed into a deadly projectile.

"Saber, Lily! Scatter!" Archer shouted as he quickly shot off two arrows at Caster. He then made a huge jump to the side, and just in time. 9 tonnes of dragon went through the spot he had been standing at over 350 kilometres per hour, and the wind from the passage alone threw Archer far from his original spot. Had he been hit by the attack he would have instantly been killed as all the bones and organs in his body were pulverised by the energy transferred from impact.

"Archer! Look out!" Archer heard as he got back up to his feet.

"What?"

Archer barely had time to mumble a confused exclamation before he was flying through the air again. This time launched by the force of the explosion from one of Caster's spells landing nearly on top of him.

"Why is it only me?" Archer screamed as he escaped death at the cost of his coat being turned into a rag.

Lily and Saber thought about telling him that he was the only one among them who could effectively attack Caster and Rider now that they were both in the air, but decided it was unnecessary as they turned their thoughts to how they could improve their situation.

"If only we had managed to cut off the wing," Lily lamented as she followed the golden arc in the sky that signaled that Rider was about to come sweeping down on them again.

"If only we had enough prana," Saber added as she looked wistfully at the sword in her hands that she dared not reveal the full power of.

A few moments previous, Saber and Lily had managed to take advantage of the dragon's blindness on one side to nearly deal a crippling blow to the beast. Lily had distracted the dragon from the front, and then Saber had jumped in to try and cut off the wing on its blind side. It had nearly worked, but Rider had realised what they were trying to do and had stopped them just in time. Realising the danger it had been in, the dragon finally settled down and had followed Rider's command to fly up into the air. Bound to the earth and running low on fuel, Saber and Lily had looked on helplessly as the dragon escaped and gained the freedom to strike them without retaliation.

To be truthful however, the only reason they had held out this long was that Rider was not attempting to attack Rin or Ilya. An agreement of so seemed to exist between her and Caster as well, for the one time that Caster had sent a spell in Rin's direction Rider had immediately stopped to fix the other servant with a glare. From that point Caster had focused solely on protecting herself from Archer's attacks and trying to erase her harasser from this world. Their experience of fighting Berserker had helped somewhat as well. Dodging the dragon's claws and tail had been like dodging Berserker's ridiculously overpowered strikes, and they had used the lessons learned from the earlier fight to stay relatively free from harm.

The problem now however was that there was little they could do against Caster and Rider. Lily had considered using Clarent again, but in its reduced state there was no chance that it would be able to penetrate the dragon's formidable defence to harm the beast or its rider. More so if Rider continued to spur the dragon along at the speeds it was going now. Not even her _third_ noble phantasm would be much use in this case, even if she could spare the prana to use it. Saber too was no different, in that the only option available to her was to use Excalibur, but she couldn't afford the prana to do so.

What was ironic was that both Lily and Saber still had enough prana to use their noble phantasms. The magical cores that they possessed due to their draconic heritage meant that if they squeezed out all the prana they had, they could easily use their abilities to the full. In reality however, they could not use this prana without a bit of their master's prana to catalyse the release. To give an example, Saber possessed 1000 units of prana, of which 1000 would be required to use Excalibur. In order to stay in fighting condition however she would need to save some of her own prana, and draw on her master for that same amount, say 900/100. In their current situation Saber could choose instead to use up most of her own prana to charge Excablibur with 950 prana, but even then a minimum of 50 was required from Rin to keep Saber standing afterwards. Doing so with Rin nearby and supporting three servants would mean that the nearly exhausted mage would surpass her limits, and Saber would be left high and dry.

Even so, if Saber could be sure that she could take out the dragon, she might have given it a go. For once the dragon and Rider were taken care of, there would be little stopping Lily from going and taking out Caster's master. The speed it was moving at however, together with the ridiculous resistance to damage it had shown against Archer's earlier attack, made her doubt that it was worth the risk.

"Incoming!" Archer shouted, warning the two Sabers of Rider's return.

"Lily! Get close to me!" Saber also warned as she spotted another danger overhead.

With Rider fast approaching, Saber's order was a puzzling one at first glance as it risked them both being swept aside by the dragon's charge. Lily however trusted in both her instincts and Saber's judgement, and waited until the last minute to dart to her 'sister's' side. At the same time as the golden comet that was Rider blazed through the air just to their left, a flurry of fireballs landed on top of them. Two of the balls of flame hit the dragon as well, but the speed it was travelling at, the prana it was letting out, and its inherent magic defence meant that it took no damage at all. Saber and Lily too were unhurt as Saber had shielded her fellow servant with her own body which enjoyed nearly perfect protection from magecraft.

"How many *cough* people has that witch sucked dry? *cough*" Lily inhaled some smoke as she stood back up, and coughed to clear her lungs. "Or is it that this place is giving *cough* her power? She's already cast enough spells to turn this field into a wasteland, and she doesn't show any signs of tiring."

Saber did not reply to Lily's observations, for she had felt much the same thing. It was clear that this strange land gave Caster at least some advantages, from the much stronger dragontooth warriors, to the endless prana that she exhibited now. The question right now however was not how Caster was doing this, but what they could do about it.

"Lily, I need your help," Saber said after a moment of contemplation.

"You have a plan?" Lily asked as she brushed off some dirt from her white and silver dress armor.

"Not much of one," Saber admitted. "I'm going to use Excalibur."

"What?" Lily flashed her a look, but quickly turned her gaze to the heavens. Something had pinged her head and when she looked up she saw what.

"A... Magic circle?" Lily whispered.

"Caster?" Saber said out loud before she realised that Caster was busy shielding herself from Archer's arrows. "No, but it's not the circle that Rider used before to summon the pegasus or to drain the students at the school."

Saber and Lily had a nasty suspicion about who was casting this spell, and these suspicions were confirmed as the dragon flew up and stopped in the middle of the huge circle.

" !" the dragon roared in an undecipherable tongue.

The circle lit up with a sickly green glow, and Saber and Lily tensed up as their inborn instincts warned them of what was about to happen.

"Archer! Get Rin and get out of the area!" Lily shouted in alarm.

"What is it?" Archer asked as he let off another volley of arrows at Caster to buy some time.

"Dragon Breath!" Lily shouted back as she ran to get Ilya. Archer was closer to the two masters who were watching from a distance, so she had entrusted him with the task of getting Rin to safety, but she would have to carry Ilya if they were to get far enough to be safe.

While Lily and Archer hurried to get the masters to safety, Saber remained on the battlefield right below the dragon. She had already decided to use Excalibur to try and turn the tide, and the dragon's use of Dragon Breath was a perfect opportunity at the same time as it was a threat.

Contrary to what most people believed, a dragon's breath was not that powerful a weapon in itself. Whether it be flame or poison, the lung capacity of a living creature and the amount of reactant that could be stored in the body limited the power and effect of such a capability to one of a nuisance that could be dealt with if one prepared correctly. Much more deadly were the tail and claws of the beasts, which could knock down stone walls and rend the best steel like paper. So what then had started the legend of dragons burning down towns and castles with their breath? The answer lay in an ability that only the more powerful of the species exhibited.

Sharing its name with the biological capability that most dragons possessed, Dragon Breath was more of a spell than an ability. A dragon that possessed both the wit and the power to use it took the massive amount of prana that its core generated and began to gather a huge amount of the sixth imaginary element from the world around it. Fixating this mass in a tight globe in front of itself, the dragon would then release its breath. When the flame or poison that came out of the dragon's mouth hit the mass of the sixth imaginary element, the ether was instantly transmuted into a mass of whatever the breath had been, and the resultant release of the pressurised mass would sweep the land below clean of life.

While Saber had never witness this herself, the wise old pervert who had been her teacher had mentioned it during a lesson about her draconic nature. He had also told her that if it ever came to be that she faced such an attack, she needed to either use Avalon or get out of the area as quickly as Lily was doing now. Considering that she had never suffered from listening to the sadistic old man, it was probably not a smart idea to stand here like this, but with the dragon hanging in one place like this, Saber considered this to be the only chance she would get to finish the beast.

The late evening sky that defied the local geography had begun to blur around the dragon as it gathered the mass of sixth imaginary element required to power its attack. Normally invisible to the naked eye, it was a clear sign of just how much power was being poured into this that such an effect could be seen as the sixth element flooded the air. As if in response to this, Saber raised her sword. Held tight with both hands, the sword which had been forged from dreams began to glow with a golden light that reflected the glory all warriors wished for. The light brilliant was enchanting enough that even Lancer and Assassin lowered their weapons for a moment to stare at it in wonder, just as any who stood and would stand on the field of battle would.

Filling the sword with prana, Saber looked up at the beast she sought to slay. The light of the magic circle had intensified as the dragon recognised the weapon in her hands and sought to attack her before she could use it, but it was already too late for the beast. Slowly raising the blade up and behind her back, Saber fixed her eyes upon the dragon as Excalibur began to shine like a star that had fallen to the earth. All was ready, and all that remained now was to prove once again why Excalibur was known as the sword of promised victory.

"Krrrrrrrrrrraaaaaw!"

"Ex-."

The dragon's attack fired off first, an exhalation of poisonous acid that sprayed forth from its mouth. As according to lore, the spray saturated the compressed mass of sixth element in front of it and began an instantaneous reaction as green and black liquid began to form and strain at its bounds. When the globe finally burst, the released wave of poison moved at supersonic velocities as it fell to earth, and it seemed as if Saber would be swept aside like a stick in a flood.

At least until Saber's attack was released.

"-Calibur!"

When Saber swung the sword forward, the blade of light that leapt off its end flared for an instant against the Dragon Breath, but quickly tore through the resistance. The heat and light generated by the passage of the cutting edge burnt away the poison in its path, and left Saber untouched as the remainders of the poison passed far to either side of her. This however was not what the attack had been released to do, and Saber only had eyes for the dragon as it was caught in the light of Excalibur's attack.

"Krreeeeeee!"

The dragon roared in pain as Excalibur's light swept across its body. It possessed one of the strongest bodies in the world, but against the light of victory even a dragon's scales and aura melted away like ice caught in the sun's light. When the light faded, one side of the dragon's body had been completely ravaged, and without the support of its wings the beast fell to the ground. This was despite the fact that the attack had been much weakened by its clash with Dragon Breath, and that the dragon's defences had cut out at least half the remaining power of the attack. The only reason the beast was still alive was that Rider had quickly ordered it to move to the side. Excalibur's attack however was one of the fastest in the world, and the dragon had finally suffered a potentially critical wound as it failed to dodge the attack.

The dragon's fall was a cause for celebration, but Saber was a bit too tired for that. Her eyes were fighting not to close, and her body felt empty and lifeless as the remaining prana she had quickly drained out. She needed to be recharged, but with Rin in a near comatose state it was impossible to do so without using Kirika's gemstones. This too needed to be considered carefully, for out of the fifty three they had begun with only four stones still remained charged, and the fight was still a ways from being over.

"Krrrrrrrraaaaaaw!"

A roar of pain and rage, Saber lifted her tired head and saw that the dragon had managed to struggle upright. Regretful, for it meant that Excalibur had failed to take it out of action, but it was also obvious that the damage had taken a heavy toll upon the beast. Half its body was a mass of burns and shattered scales, and it limped as it bellowed its anger to the world. If not for the sheer power and bulk that dragons possessed, it would have been a negligible threat to most servants in its current state.

Now, if only Lily or Archer got here before it crushed her in revenge, Saber thought before she fell unconscious, exhausted from using Excalibur.

-x-x-x-

"Arco!" Caster shouted as a wave of light appeared to consume the dragon.

The blinding glare made Sakura blink, and when she opened her eyes again the light had begun to fade. Motes of golden light still filled the air where the beam had torn apart the winds themselves, and the dragon too was in a poor condition as it fell, unable to keep itself in the air.

"Rider?" Sakura quickly called out, anxious for her servant who had been atop the fallen great servant.

When she saw Rider emerge unscathed from the smoke that wreathed the dragon, Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. It appeared as if the dragon's bulk had shielded Rider, and though she looked a little worse for the wear it didn't appear as if she had any noticeable wounds.

It had to be pointed out here that Sakura too was floating in the air next to Caster. When the dragon had prepared to use its Dragon Breath, Caster had quickly removed her and Kuzuki from the ground where there was the danger they may be caught up in the attack. Assassin had not been so fortunate, and the normally cool and elegant servant was obviously moody at having had to run for her life from an ally's attack.

"Ridiculous," Caster hissed as she looked over the damage that Arco had sustained. "Is this the power of a last phantasm?"

A mage among mages, Caster knew full well how tough a dragon's defences were, and could not believe that anyone could do such damage to one with a single strike. This was especially true of a long range attack that wasn't even aimed at a particular part of the body.

With Arco down, the battle was suddenly much more fair again. True, Saber looked like she could no longer move, but the white Saber and Archer were already hurrying back. With Archer firing arrows at them, it was unlikely that Rider would be able to kill Saber before she was rescued, and Caster herself had no way to kill Saber without getting close enough to be put in danger.

To be honest though, Caster didn't know why she was so flustered. Thinking about it calmly, there was no reason that they could not win this as they were now. Saber was down, and if they wanted to save her the white Saber would be tied up. Rider was still up and about, and though Arco was heavily wounded the dragon was still fully capable of getting involved in the fight. Their opponents were also running out of prana and time, and if she just kept her distance and continued to rain down spells Caster should have been confident of victory.

The jokers that were called noble phantasms however had introduced a nervous apprehension in Caster. Though Saber had exhausted herself after she revealed her hand, the damage she had done was immense. Her twin also was still lively, and if anything similar came out of her Caster was not sure that she could survive. Archer too had surprised her with the power that he could impart to his attacks, and she didn't want to know what he was capable of given more time than she had allowed him until now. Taking all this information into account, all her instincts told her that in order to grab victory, she would need to do something quickly.

A sinister gleam entered Caster's eyes as she blocked an attack Archer sent her way. The answer was quite simple really. If she could not remove the enemy servants, then she would just have to go for the master. There was a small reason to hesitate here, as Sakura had reacted badly to any such suggestions before, but since the girl child was not completely necessary, Caster was willing to take the risk. Once the enemy masters were taken care of, all the servants in the war apart from Lancer would have been taken care of anyway. Arco could also hold up Rider if she turned against them, and Caster was sure that she could take care of Lancer if Assassin helped her.

Casually arraying a series of shields before her to protect against Archer's harassing attacks, she began to charge one of her larger spells as the shields began to shatter one by one as a stream of arrows broke against them. Caster had gotten half way into the casting when Sakura noticed what she was doing, and where the spell seemed to be aimed.

"Caster-san?" Sakura inquired, but Caster did not answer and continued her spell.

Surprised by Caster's sudden decision to betray the unspoken promise between them to leave Rin out of the battle, Sakura didn't know what she had to do. It was clear that with the dragon still able to struggle against Lily and Archer that there was no one able to stop Caster's spellcasting except herself, but there were no spells in her arsenal that could do more than splatter harmlessly against Caster's shields.

The seconds seemed to crawl past like hours for Sakura as the situation developed. Did she have any options? Did she even have to do anything? A confusing swarm of conflicting emotions and thoughts filled Sakura's mind as she tried to figure out what the best course of action she could take was. If she did nothing, it was almost certain that Rin would die. Archer had noticed what Caster was doing and had begun to do something with his bow, but Sakura could tell he wouldn't make it in time. What then could she do to save Rin? Did she even want to save her?

Long held jealousy reared its head inside Sakura's mind to argue against any action, but soon faded away amidst the clamor that filled her heart. The emotions that she had in relation to her sister were no simple things, and Sakura was unable to make any concrete identification of her overall feelings. All that she knew at this moment was that she could not allow Caster to kill Rin, not when she had not even had a chance to confront her once more.

Heartfelt desires often drove humans to do things, and Sakura found inspiration that struck her like a lightning bolt as she looked around herself. Thus it was that in the few seconds between Sakura noticing Caster's intent and Caster nearing the end of her spell, Sakura was able to find a way to stop her more certainly than any spell she knew.

"Caster! Stop it or I'll kill Kuzuki sensei!" Sakura shouted just as Caster prepared to lower her staff and direct the fury of the heavens against Rin and Ilya.

Caster froze in mid-motion, her eyes opening wide as she saw that Sakura had a mass of dark shadows ready to fire at Kuzuki who was unable to move as he floated in the air not too far away from her. The shock at realising that she had left her master defenceless made her falter, and the ball of energy she had gathered began to dissipate. Seeing that Caster had been stopped, at least for now, Sakura sighed and relaxed a little. Caster's attention was focused on Sakura, and Sakura only had eyes for Caster and Rin. Which was why both of them were unable to even react -

- as a glowing white beam punched through Kuzuki's body.

"Master!"

Kuzuki was not instantly killed, but it was clear that he was not far from it as his body fell towards the ground. Caster instantly cast another spell to softly lower it to the ground and dived down to her master's side, but it was far too late. Archer's arrow had twisted the space around itself as it pierced the air, and though Kuzuki had managed to move himself somewhat to try and protect himself with the gloves Caster had given him, they together with an amulet of protection had only managed to keep his body in one mangled piece from which life was quickly fading.

"Caster..." Kuzuki whispered as he struggled for breath.

"Don't say anything Souichirou-sama," Caster said frantically as she tried to heal him. "You will be alright, you have to be. Ah!"

Caster's last shriek came as another of Archer's arrows slammed into the shields that had stayed around her. The distraction reminded her that they were still in danger, but with Kuzuki's wounds taking up all her thoughts, all it managed to do was infuriate her that she needed to waste valuable moments raising up more shields.

"Archer..." Caster growled in a voice colder than the frozen hells. Even as she did however, she kept her focus on Kuzuki and the prana that she was pouring into him.

Kuzuki was having trouble keeping his eyes open as the circulation of his blood began to fail, and his voice was barely audible as he opened his mouth.

"Caster..." he said again.

"Save your strength, Souichiro-sama," Caster said in a voice that was full of panic. Though one of her specialties was the creation of potions, Caster's skill in healing was actually quite low. Though she would never admit it, it was a miracle that she had kept Kuzuki alive for as long as she had.

"... I don't regret... -ving... you..." Kuzuki mumbled a few words as his chest fell, and never rose again.

"Master? Souichiro-sama? Master?" Tears fell from Caster's eyes as she refused to acknowledge what she saw and continued to call for her master. "Souichiro-sama!"

Caster continued to kneel beside Kuzuki's unmoving body, careless of the fact that all of her shields had been broken. Archer would have been able to kill her had Assassin not abandoned her duel with Lancer to come and stand before her. Moving with an alacrity that was unbelievable for one with her wounds, Assassin stoically guarded Caster from the rain of arrows Archer fired at her in an effort to finish the witch once and for all. Lancer did not interfere, as his mood had been ruined by Archer's unsportsmanlike attack. Granted, it had been about the only thing he could do in their current situation to overcome their difficulties, but seeing a woman cry had always killed his mood and today was no different.

"Caster," Assassin called out in a flagging voice once a certain length of time had passed. "Caster! Enough already! Are you just going to sit there and die? If you are, at least tell me so that I can greet death with a smile!"

Assassin's voice failed to move Caster to action, and the distraught servant continued to stare at Kuzuki's corpse with empty eyes as she knelt there motionless. Groaning with frustration, Assassin continued to stand her ground, but Caster's loss of her master had begun to eat away at Caster's ability to stay in this world, and among the first things to degrade had been Assassin's connection to her master. Already short on prana from resisting the curse of Gae Bolg to the extent where she could move, the loss of her master's support meant that Assassin was weakening rapidly.

Now that Lancer was free, he had gone to help Lily to take care of the dragon, which meant Archer was completely at his liberty to decide his method of attack. Knowing how dangerous Assassin was, Archer was making sure that she could not move by engaging her at range with his bow. There was nothing that Assassin could do under the circumstances, and that meant that she had lost.

"Looks like this is it," Assassin sighed. She couldn't abandon Caster, both out of duty and because of the simple fact that Caster's death would lead to hers. Pity for the witch also stayed her feet, for she knew how much Kuzuki had meant to her. It was a shame that she could not fight any more, but she supposed that there were worse ways to go out from a grand conflict like this than protecting a beautiful woman.

As Assassin's movements slowed, gaps began to appear in her defence. Finally, an arrow slipped past her guard and slammed into her shoulder, making her nearly drop her sword. She kept her grip upon her much loved blade, but the opening allowed two more arrows to slam into her, and Assassin finally fell. It was only as Assassin collapsed with three arrows sticking out of her that light returned to Caster's eyes, and she raised her head just as another volley of arrows came in to finish her and her servant off.

"Αιγίς" Caster said softly, her voice completely empty of emotion.

An instant before they would have taken her life, the arrows stopped short. Powerful enough to take out an armoured vehicle, they were nevertheless much too frail to penetrate a defensive spell that had its origins in a divine artefact.

"Finally up?" Assassin gasped as she realised Caster had saved her.

Caster nodded silently, and then turned her gaze towards Archer, and then Sakura. Separated by the light of aegis and the distance of eighty metres, it was still very much clear to those who she looked at that Caster was enraged. It was the cold fury of a woman who had lost everything, the same depth of despair and anger that had led her to commit the acts that had made her name a synonym with betrayal and death. So obvious was her intent that everyone realised that in the time Caster had left, all her efforts would go towards the elimination of those she blamed for her loss.

"Ὑπερίων" Caster mumbled, and a window began to open in the sky.

In answer, Archer put away his bow and started to charge towards Caster with his two usual black and white swords in hand.

Before they could begin to settle their differences however, a part of the world itself cracked, and a wave of red light swept through the middle of the battlefield.

**5-6**

With the sound of glass breaking, the wound that had been inflicted upon the world by the mysterious red light began to spread across the air. Before it got too far however, a veil of prismatic light descended upon the area, and the jagged cracks slowly started to close over.

The focus of all the servants however was not on this strange phenomenon, but instead was fixed upon the person who had marched out of the unworldly opening. A servant obviously, clad in golden armor and carrying a strange weapon of some sort in his hand that was formed of three cylindrical shapes that rotated against each other. Perfect in form, he carried himself in a manner that could not be called arrogant. For it was not arrogance if you were truly as powerful as you claimed. This air of confidence and power subdued the spirits of those who looked upon him, to the extent that even the dragon felt something amiss and backed off. The only flaw in this servant's majestic demeanor was the angry frown that marred his face, a frown that deepened as he caught sight of Caster.

"There you are, witch," said the golden servant as he strode out of the strange space he had emerged from towards his target. "Did you really think that your pitiful trap would be enough to take care of me?"

Caster said nothing, her focus being Archer and Sakura, but the annoyed glare she directed at the returned nuisance only seemed to fuel his wrath.

"Who do you think you are looking at with eyes like that?" Gilgamesh asked rhetorically.

Angered, Gilgamesh raised his arm, not deigning to use his prized weapon upon one such as Caster. At his beckoning, the air behind him rippled as a host of precious weapons emerged from his store room. As the weapons appeared, Caster realised that she could not defend herself against such an attack in her current state. If she could have at all. Gritting her teeth, she cast one last dark look at her now sworn enemies and wrapped space around herself. Gilgamesh reacted quickly and fired a volley of weapons at her, but Caster managed to teleport away, and took with her the wounded Assassin and the body of her beloved master.

"Damned witch," Gilgamesh swore as he lost his prey. It didn't help his already violent mood to be shamed like this, especially when there were others present as he now realised.

Of the four other servants that still stood, Archer, Rider and Lily were on guard against this new threat while Lancer had a pained looked upon his face. Archer and Lily were the most tense as they had not seen Gilgamesh before, and had thought that they had seen all the servants in the war. Caring not for their thoughts, Gilgamesh looked over them one by one. He dismissed Lancer with a sneer, and ignored Archer altogether before his eyes settled on Lily. Here he raised an eyebrow, and appeared to think of something before he smirked.

"So, you are the one," he addressed Lily. "The twin to my sleeping bride over there."

"Hah?" Archer stared at Gilgamesh as if he was a lunatic.

"... Excuse me?" Lily simply blinked, and tried to confirm what she had just heard.

"..." Lancer didn't have the words to express how he felt.

Archer's reaction to his statement displeased Gilgamesh, but since Lily had addressed him he felt obliged to answer her before he taught the mongrel a lesson in manners.

"Must I repeat myself?" Gilgamesh said in a bored tone. "I referred to Saber, who currently rests over there. I had heard that you were the same person as her, but it appears that this was not so."

"In what way?" Lily asked, for she and Saber were the same person in most regards.

Gilgamesh's eyes gleamed with mirth as he directed a sadistic smile at Lily. "You lack that which I find so beautiful in her. That naive idealism of hers that betrays her maidenly heart. That innocent virtue that screams to be broken and extinguished for my pleasure."

"... You don't have many friends, do you," Archer replied in a dead tone to this somewhat strange appraisal of Saber.

"Be silent, mongrel," Gilgamesh warned Archer as he fixed him with his inhuman red eyes. "Your betters are talking."

"You should learn to respect others, whoever you are," Lily berated him softly as she made up her mind about this mysterious new servant. "It does you no honour to treat others like that, even if they are your enemies."

Gilgamesh snorted and shook his head. "No one but I has the right to judge me, and if another says otherwise, then they overstep themselves."

"Your overblown pride astounds me," Lily replied as she let out a sigh of disbelief. "More importantly though, what is it that you intend to do now? We came here with an objective to achieve, and if you do not intend to fight, I must ask you to step aside."

Not really having any reason to stop them, Gilgamesh nevertheless thought about playing with this fascimile of Saber for a while to relieve his boredom. He could not take Saber right now, for it would be no fun to capture her when she was completely helpless like this. This Lily on the other hand looked like she too would be beautiful when she lay broken beneath him. Gilgamesh was about to declare his intentions when he caught sight of Rider, and he remembered that one of the parties to his short humiliation still remained nearby.

"Move forward, fair one," Gilgamesh told Lily as he turned towards Rider. "Any business between us can wait until you have achieved your goals and I have punished those insolent fools who sought to harm me."

Having said this, Gilgamesh's blood red eyes focused on Sakura, who shivered at the feeling of being pierced by his glare. Rider saw the direction of his gaze, and quickly stepped in between Gilgamesh and her master, but Gilgamesh looked at her and simply let out a short laugh of contempt.

"I'm surprised you found the courage to stand before me again, Rider," he told her tired servant of Sakura. "Or have you forgotten your miserable performance the last time you tried this?"

What Rider might have said then would remain unknown, as a loud inhuman roar split the air. Its source was the dragon, which seemed to have recovered somewhat during the time that everyone had forgotten about it due to Gilgamesh's entrance. The renewed vigor of the beast made all those here tense up slightly, including Rider who could now be said to be its enemy. Gilgamesh however only frowned at being interrupted in the midst of taunting Rider.

"Another Snake?" he said contemptuously of the great serpent. "How droll. I thought this was a war for so-called heroes, not overgrown worms that belong in the ground."

"Krrrrrrrrr!" the dragon roared with angry pride at having been oppressed by Gilgamesh's presence, as well as the insulting comparison to a snake.

"Silence," Gilgamesh ordered with a displeased frown. "You have no place here."

Gilgamesh casually waved his hand at the dragon, and a multitude of weapons appeared around him to leap out at the wounded creature. It was hard to imagine that such a careless attack would have much effect on a beast that had withstood a direct hit from Excalibur, but to everyone's surprise the dragon roared with pain as the projectiles easily pierced its diamond hard scales. That was not the end of it, and the dragon was wracked with contortions as the various anti-dragon phantasms that were embedded in its body did their work. At this point the dragon was still alive, but unfortunately for the creature, its bellows had further annoyed Gilgamesh. Summoning up more weapons, he threw them all at the mortally wounded dragon, until the beast finally ceased to move under the weight of its wounds.

The rapid dispatching of the dragon that had so troubled Rin's servants shocked those who had watched the entire process unfold. This included Ilya, who had approached them once Caster had disappeared. The shock and confusion on her face however could not be entirely explained by the sight, and the reason was made clear as she pointed at Gilgamesh with a trembling finger.

"Who-who are you?" Ilya shouted. "I don't know anyone like you! How did you get here?"

Distracted just as he had been about to turn towards Sakura again, Gilgamesh gave Ilya a dismissive look as he answered her. "Pitiful. If you are the vessel, shouldn't you know instantly who I am as soon as you lay eyes on my august presence?"

"I said, I don't know you!" Ilya shrieked. "You don't belong here! Go away! Go away, go away, go away!"

"So noisy," Gilgamesh muttered as Ilya threw a tantrum. "If I'm going to retrieve you, I suppose I may as well shut you up now."

Gilgamesh flicked a finger, and a sword shot out from behind him towards Ilya. The missile never reached its target however, as Archer stepped in to deflect the shot before it hit Ilya.

"Picking on children now, King of Heroes?" Archer jeered as he took up a stance in front of the small waif of a girl who was the Einzbern master for the war.

"Hoh, so someone finally recognises me," Gilgamesh said as a smile that didn't reach his eyes curled his lips. "Be aware that your perceptiveness just saved your life, mongrel. Also know however, that I will not be so gracious again." Gilgamesh then turned a sadistic gaze towards Ilya and told her, "Spare me the trouble of going after you, and kill yourself now, vessel. It will be easier for you that way."

Bereft of Berserker's protection, Ilya reacted as any young girl would when faced with a deadly threat. Trembling, she was fighting back tears as she slowly backed away from this servant who could not possibly exist. His very presence terrified her, and his words and attitude even more so. She wanted to run, but the blood red eyes that told her to die made her knees weak, and it was all she could manage to take a few awkward steps back.

Her backwards retreat was stopped when a warm hand was laid upon her head. The strangely comforting gesture made Ilya stop, and stop trembling as Archer came to stand in front of her to block out Gilgamesh from her line of sight. Archer gave Ilya a warm smile to reassure her, and then gave the golden bastard who had terrified Ilya a cold glare. Fortunately, Gilgamesh wasn't looking at Archer then, already having lost interest in Ilya for now. The golden servant was instead focused on Sakura again, this time intending to go through with her punishment no matter what happened.

"How touching," Gilgamesh said condescendingly as Rider stoutened her guard in front of Sakura. "Does it please you to protect your master like that? Or is it some kind of affinity you have for a fellow monster? Either way, I suppose it doesn't matter. Just die, snake."

Rider tensed up as Gilgamesh flicked his finger. Had she still been able to summon her steed, she would long since have taken Sakura and run away from here. In her current state however the best she could hope for was to protect Sakura with her body for as long as that might last, and hope that the other servants would come to her rescue against this golden tyrant.

She had just prepared to hit out at the three phantasms Gilgamesh had shot at her, knowing full well that she could not run from her position without Sakura dying, when a white shape cut in front of her to intercept the weapons. Striking with lightning speed, Lily cut down the first spear that Gilgamesh had shot, and then used the momentum from the attack to sweep aside the axe that had followed, before finally stabbing out at the sword that had been the last projectile in this volley. It was a feat that could only be accomplished by someone with both the skill and the speed to cut a speeding bullet, and when Lily came to a stop, she and all those behind her remained unhurt.

"What are you doing, Saber?" Gilgamesh asked of her as he narrowed his eyes.

"I should ask the same of you, Gilgamesh," Lily replied as she appraised him. "Was your business not with Caster?"

"Hah," Gilgamesh huffed and put his hands on his waist. "One does not allow one bug to live while another dies. If you are going to kill pests, you kill them all."

"... I'm afraid I can't allow that," Lily said quietly as she made up her mind.

Lily's protection of Sakura and Rider may have seemed odd considering that they had been enemies until just a minute ago, but there was a reason for her decision. Half of it was the fact that Sakura had turned against Caster in order to save Rin. This had reminded her of the plea that Rin had made to them before they came up the mountain. In a voice that was full of uncertainty and remorse, the normally unshakeable girl had begged them to capture Sakura alive if at all possible. Lily herself had been reluctant until it had been explained to them that Sakura was Rin's sister, and that together with Lily's own sense of guilt in regards to close family members had led her to make this decision now.

"Thank you, Saber," Rider told Lily as she came up to stand beside her.

Lily quickly glanced up at the taller servant's face then shrugged. "Thank Rin, not me. If you want to show your appreciation, you can arrange a talk between your master and Rin after we survive this."

Lily's answer made Rider look to her master, whose face made it clear that she too had heard the request. Nervous fear about the prospect of being killed by Gilgamesh had been overlaid with mixed uncertainty and renewed hope in Sakura's eyes.

Gilgamesh watched the exchange occur with disinterested eyes, and when it became clear that Lily was not about to back down he opened his mouth to speak.

"It is sad," said the man who had once ruled the entire world. "I thought you the same as Saber, but it is obvious that you are not. Did you not have an objective for coming here? If so, why are you standing before me in order to die?"

Gilgamesh's reminder about Kirika gave Lily pause, but she soon threw off her hesitation and stared him firmly in the eye.

"Because it was requested of me, and my heart tells me that it's the right thing to do," Lily replied proudly. "Besides, there are enough of us here to retrieve my master and to stop you at the same time."

Lily shrugged as she confidently stated her intentions, and Gilgamesh raised an eyebrow at what he perceived as arrogance.

"If you believe that, than you are more foolish than I imagined," he told her. Gilgamesh then looked around himself, taking stock of the number of servants that were gathered in one place, and came to a decision.

"Very well then," Gilgamesh's eyes shed their bored complacency and became sharp and alert. "I was going to take my time and teach each of you mongrels individually how pathetic you all are, but I suppose that I may as well deal with all of you now."

Ripples in the air, like waves spreading across a still pond after a bunch of stones were thrown in. Countless invaluable artifacts and weapons from legend arrayed themselves behind their owner as Gilgamesh prepared to go to war.

As one of the targets of his wrath, Lily was actually a lot more nervous than she seemed. She and Archer had no support from their master, and Saber was unable altogether. Rider and Lancer's presence was a great help, but Rider no longer had a mount, and Lancer seemed hesitant for some reason. There was also Kirika to consider, and the presence of their masters so close by was a problem if the fight was going to get as hectic as she predicted it would.

"Rider," Lily called out as she came to a decision. "Could you do something for me?"

Her question made Rider stop to look at her, Rider's once again covered eyes giving away no emotion as she waited for Lily to continue.

"Take Sakura and Ilya away from here," Lily said in no uncertain terms. "Also, I would appreciate it if you retrieve my master for us once Sakura and Ilya are safe. You do know where she is do you not?"

Rider frowned a bit at the implied suggestion that she was a hindrance, but relaxed her face as she admitted to herself that there was an element of truth to the idea. She had no mounts, and she was not in too great a condition after the continuous battles and a close exposure to a blast from Excalibur. There was also Sakura to think about, and Rider decided to go along with Lily's suggestion.

"Good luck then," Rider told Lily as she quickly ran to grab Sakura, and then Ilya.

"Make sure she's safe, or I will hunt you down myself," Archer hissed as he handed over a nervous Ilya to Rider. "Lancer! You joining us?"

Called by Archer, Lancer threw back his head and looked up at the sky. It was actually quite a nice evening here in wherever land Caster had conjured up. It reminded him a little of his homeland, especially with how the green hills seemed to stretch on and on but for the mountains in the distance.

"Eh... I suppose I won't get any better chances to deal with that shiny little bastard," Lancer muttered as he made up his mind. "Let's work together one last time, Archer. First one to stick a pointy object in that snob wins."

Lancer came up to stand beside Archer, making it three servants who stood against Gilgamesh with their weapons out and ready. Even outnumbered like this however, Gilgamesh's expression didn't change, and he smirked as he raised his hand.

"A dog, a peon, and a woman to be broken," Gilgamesh said in regards to them in a carefree voice. "The snake can come later. Right now, you mongrels can enjoy the privilege of being killed by me."

Gilgamesh dropped his hand, and a storm of weapons shot out to execute those who had dared to challenge him.

-x-x-x-

"Ha... Ha... Ha..."

Caster's breath was heavy and ragged as she retrieved the last of the items she needed from her temple. The loss of her master had begun to take its toll upon her, and with the prana in her body going out faster than it could be replenished by the various methods she was using to sustain her presence in the world it was getting difficult for her to even move around. To put Caster's current condition into perspective, it was akin to that of a human who had just suffered extreme blood loss walking around their home with the wound open while burdened with lead weights. This might not have been the case had she possessed the independent action skill, but Caster did not enjoy any such blessings. Only the massive amount of prana she had managed to stock up before today, and the burning determination in her heart to conduct revenge against those who had killed Souichiro allowed her to keep mobile and upright.

"Take it easy, Caster," Assassin said as she appeared at Caster's side to support her. She was in no great shape herself, but Caster's emergency treatment had restored her to the point where she could at least move around. The lack of prana did not bother her too much either as Assassin's master was Caster, and she was not burning through the power required to establish her presence in the world as Caster was.

"No time," Caster said briefly. "Have to get everything."

There was a reason that Caster was in such a hurry. At the rate that her prana was disappearing she only had enough to teleport them once, and that would barely leave her enough to function for a few hours. Time enough she hoped to find or create a temporary anchor with which to hold herself in this world. In order to do that however, they could not afford to get into a fight, as Caster could not spare enough prana to support even Assassin's small expenditure in battle.

Seeing that Caster was not going to relent, Assassin managed to persuade Caster to sit down and rest while she gathered the items that Caster told her to get. They all went into Caster's bag of holding, which had been one of the first things she had created when summoned. Able to store the equivalent volume of a store room in a small pouch, this it was an artifact that was impossible for mages in this day and age to create without devoting the resources of an entire department of the Clock Tower. Caster had created three in the space of two days with just her own prana and a few common ingredients that her first summoner had possessed.

"Is that everything?" Assassin asked as she closed the bag.

Caster nodded, and stood up. They had to get moving. Enough time had passed that one or more of the servants might have found and arrived at the temple. Hopefully the arrogant churl who had declared himself to be Gilgamesh would have presented them with another foe, but if Sakura and Rider decided that they needed to finish her off and snuck out, than this would be the first place they would look.

Thinking about Sakura made Caster clench her teeth hard enough that Assassin could hear them grind against each other. Sakura, that cursed girl. How could that ungrateful whore betray her like that after all she had done for her? If only she hadn't distracted her at that moment, if only she hadn't relaxed her guard about that worm-begotten girl, if only...

"Caster, we need to go," Assassin gently reminded her when Caster stopped and began to shiver with rage.

Reminded of their current predicament, Caster slowly calmed herself to the point where she could think again. Taking a deep breath, she was about to cast the spell that would take her, Assassin and Souichiro's body away from this place when something caught her eye.

Wreathed in poly-chromatic light, Kirika still lay asleep upon the altar where Caster had placed her. As the centre-piece of the grand working that Caster had spread over this area, it was unlikely that she would wake unless the various mechanisms that Caster had set in place to maintain this state of affairs were destroyed. So, she slept on, blissfully oblivious to all the goings-on around her.

When she saw Kirika's serene sleeping face, Caster felt something break within her. The injustice of it all ate away at her heart and twisted her thoughts, just as the curse of a goddess had done so many years ago.

Not quite knowing why, Caster made her way to Kirika's side. Only when she got there did she realise what she needed to do in order to get a small measure of satisfaction out of this disaster. A way to ensure both the removal of a few troublesome opponents at the same time as she caused her enemies grief.

Archer had come for the girl, that much was obvious from the actions of him and his master. In that case, all she needed to do to spite them was to _kill the girl_.

With the girl dead, Archer's master would be left to support three servants. Of course, this was impossible for the pitiful mages of this day and age, and Archer's master would have to give up on at least two of the servants if she wanted to stay in this war. In that case, it was most likely she would choose to keep her own servant, and that meant that Archer would be left by himself. A much easier target than when he had two Sabers to support him. There was also the sheer joy she would get from watching their faces contort with anger when they found the one they had come to rescue dead. She wasn't exactly sure of the relationship between this girl and Archer's master, but for them to work so closely together the bond had to be a strong one. The stronger the better in this case, for every tear that Archer's master shed would be one small drop to quench the burning rage in her heart.

"Caster, someone's coming!" Assassin warned as she felt a servant approach.

Assassin's call broke Caster from her hysteric fervor and brought her back to reality. She had no more time to waste. No problem though, for this would be quick.

Grabbing the jagged dagger that had once shredded her brother's corpse, Caster plunged it into Kirika's heart. When Rider charged into the temple, it was to see Caster and Assassin fade away from sight, the witch laughing hysterically as she disappeared. All that was left behind was the echoing sound of Caster's mad laugh, and Kirika's body, under which a pool of blood was rapidly forming.

-x-x-x-

When the jagged pain ripped through her body and soul, Kirika realised that she was out of time.

Lost amidst the stars of her memories, Kirika had made no progress in her quest to find herself amidst the chaos of her mind. Too many options, and not enough clues. She had waited for something to change, anything, but when the change did come it was not the one she had waited for.

As she watched, the sky above her mental landscape began to grow dark. Beginning from the horizon, the countless stars that filled her world began to grow dark. One by one, the multi-coloured lights dimmed, and were swallowed by the shadow. It was a disturbing sight for anyone who had studied the soul, and Kirika somehow knew that when the darkness arrived at her location, she would cease to exist.

As the shadows grew, Kirika began to wonder if she should just give up. There was no chance that she would be able to find what she was looking for, and even if she did... So what? There was a sense of finality in the darkness that told her that this was the end. Her life, which she could not even remember, was at an end. There were no second chances available, nor was this was game where one could go back to a save point. Death only came once for a human being, and this was her ticket. There was no reason to continue.

Was there? Without her memories, she had no way to know.

Kirika closed her eyes, and waited for the darkness to cover her. She had already begun to lose herself in the chaos beforehand, and now that she had given up completely the diffusion of her soul progressed even faster. Thought faded, memories already scattered grew dark. All that had made up the entity that knew itself to be Emiya Kirika had begun to disappear.

Had this continued, death would have claimed Kirika in the most final way possible. Not only would her physical body have ceased to function, but her very soul would have broken up like so many grains of sand on a beach. A complete and final return to nothingness, the origin from which everything came.

_ERROR: Core possibility paradigm damaged. ERROR: Ego, Id, not functional. ERROR: Persona not found. ERROR: Destabilisation of physical parameters. ERROR: destabilisation of spiritual parameters. __ERROR: No data. ERROR. ERROR. ERROR. ERROR. ERROR. ERROR. ERROR. __ERROR._

Fate however seemed to have different plans for Kirika though, as a spike of prismatic lightning tore across Kirika's inner world. The light and the sense of rightness it brought with it woke Kirika just before she entered into eternal slumber, and the queasy feeling of her entire self being enveloped in a countless series of changes jolted her awake and kept her there.

The source of the stimulus lay with Caster. In seeking to kill Kirika quickly and dramatically, she had turned to the weapon most fitting for the purpose, the dagger which she always carried. Caster did not realise however what effect the power of Rule Breaker might have upon Kirika, whose existence itself was one miracle of Magic.

Created to destroy all that was born of thaumaturgy, Rule Breaker made no exception for the miracle that had brought Emiya Kirika into this world. Even Rule Breaker however would normally have been insufficient to break down the strange balance of possibilities that the Kaleidostick had enforced around Kirika. True Magic lay beyond the bounds that had been understood by mages of ages past, and not even the power of the ages could allow Rule Breaker to destroy that which it had never been meant to deal with. Normally, this would have been the case.

The Grail War had done strange things to Kirika's mind as she came into contact with people and things that logically she should never have been able to meet. Assassin's skills, Archer's tracing, the sheer mental stress that came of being involved in a war to the death. Each new experience had been akin to a hammer blow to Kirika's mind, and one of the heaviest blows had been Issei's confession. This surprise event had reilluminated the issue of her true identity, something which she had long unconsciously ignored. It was as her mind struggled to close the gap between what her memories told her to be true and what her body and soul knew to be reality that Kirika had been kidnapped.

Kirika's troubles did not end there. Unable to understand the difference between thaumaturgy and modern True Magic, Caster had not really recognised Kirika for what she represented, but had understood enough that she was able to use Kirika's nature to make possible her grand ritual. The basic principle behind the working was simple. An amplification of the twisted reality that Caster perceived around Kirika, and the manipulation of this power to make natural what was not. Caster interpreted what she saw from her perspective as a witch who dealt in lies. What she failed to understand was that Kirika's existence was not a lie, but the forceful imposition of an unique possibility upon the world.

The ritual worked, for it did not seek to work with the foundations of the phenomenon around Kirika and only sought to expand the range it affected. For Kirika, this had the unfortunate effect that the boundaries recognised by both her spiritual self and the trace of the Second that anchored her being were expanded to cover an area more than thirty nine miles in diameter. Everything that occurred in this area was perceived by Kirika, and through her connection to the Second, so was everything that _could_ have occurred within those bounds.

Overloaded with information beyond that which the human mind could perceive, the forces which had kept her alive until now were forced to open the connection between Kirika's mind and her soul in order to divert the flood into the unlimited pool that was the spirit. This was the final straw. Though inseperable, the mind and the soul were never meant to be connected without limits like this. The third part of the triumvirate that made up a human, that which existed across and through time. The connection was opened by instinct, but once open could not be closed. Growing stronger with every second that passed, the flow of information became a two way event, until Kirika's memories of past and future had been completely contaminated by things she had never done and experiences never had.

The fact that Kirika managed to retain a sense of self at all was amazing, and a credit to the strength of her mental landscape and the strange processes that had been built over it into the years through her constant contact with the Second. Kirika however was still human, and in the face of forces beyond human understanding could not hope to keep herself whole. Left for just one hour more, and Kirika's mind would have been completely lost, like a drop of ink dropped into an ocean.

It was at this point in time that Rule Breaker sought to do its work, and the blade's power shattered the balance of forces inside Kirika's body and mind as the trace of the Second that maintained her rushed to repair the damage that had been done to itself.

A chaos of colours descended upon the world around Kirika's body as it underwent a dizzying series of changes. At one moment she had long hair and was dressed in a formal dress, the next her hair had been cut to her ears and she wore an army uniform of some sort. Scars appeared and went, the colour of her hair shifted about too. What was truly strange however was the constant flipping between being male and female, with appropriate outfits there for.

Her mind was in a no better state. The darkness was lit up in a whirl of colours as memories were scattered and forcefully made whole like a madman's jigsaw puzzle solutions. Incomprehensible jibberish took the place of thought as tongues and sounds were mixed and turned. Pandemonium, but bereft of the foundation blocks of order, it was impossible for any semblance of sanity to exist here.

Or at least, that should have the case.

At the core of Kirika's being, a strange light surrounded the crouched girl that represented the core of Kirika's sense of self. Though Kirika could not have realised it the light had always been with her, and was one of the things that had protected her through the years from threats both internal and external, particularly during these past few days. With the Second running rampant across Kirika's mind and soul however it appeared that this light would soon fade as prismatic lightning ate away at what remained.

When Kirika's outfit changed into that of an armored knight however, the light suddenly flared and began to grow. At first it struggled against the chaotic lightning of the Second, but after a sudden point the resistance suddenly stopped, and the soft and warm light exploded across the infinite space inside Kirika's soul. When the blinding light faded, the chaos had settled, and Kirika's mental landscape was quiet once more. The quiet was not the spine-chilling silence of the grave, or the empty desolation of the void, but instead it was a tranquil air that promised peace and comfort.

With order restored, Kirika's mind began to try and restore itself, but failed. Some crucial part was missing, destroyed in the chaos. Regardless, it began to do what it could, and one by one the frozen shards of multi-coloured lightning that laced the air began to break up. The motes of light that were released grew as they separated from each other, and soon the stars began to populate the darkness of Kirika's mind once more.

-x-x-x-

While the forces inside Kirika fought to define who she was, and Rider wondered what to make of the body that had died and then started to breathe again, Archer and the others had been driven into a corner in their fight against Gilgamesh.

"Hyaaaa!"

Shouting his defiance, Lancer fought to make headway against the rain of missiles that came towards him. It was obvious to anyone though that the progress he was making was in the opposite direction from that which he wanted to go. As Lancer was forced back step by step the strain on his face grew until finally a halberd cut his leg.

"Lancer! Switch!"

A kukri that would have pierced Lancer's neck was smashed aside by the side of Lily's sword as she rushed up from where she had been taking a short break. Lancer took the opportunity to duck back behind her in order to rest himself while Lily took the brunt of Gilgamesh's attack.

A little ways apart from them, Archer fired off another series of arrows to intercept some of Gilgamesh's shots in mid-air. The momentary gap allowed the two forward attackers to dash in towards Gilgamesh, but they were unable to do any damage as Gilgamesh took the hits with his incredibly tough armor. Lily and Lancer were soon forced to retreat as Gilgamesh pulled out another huge bunch of weapons, and only got off without any wounds because Archer drew Gilgamesh's attention to him with a well timed shot.

"This is getting us nowhere," Archer muttered as he threw Kanshou and Bakuya forward to block a speeding battleaxe while he dodged the rest of the volley.

"Well do you have any better ideas?" Lancer asked as he too dodged a rain of metal.

"Maybe," said Archer, but he didn't look too hopeful. "You two will have to buy me time though. A lot of it."

"That... May... Be a bit hard, Archer," Lily told him as she parried a sword and ducked under another which exploded as it touched ground. Her white and silver armor was already blackened in many places, and cracks showed in many places as Lily was unable to find the time and prana to repair it.

"Are you even sure it will work?" Lancer asked. "I mean, my noble phantasm couldn't even scratch him!"

Lancer looked very cross about this, as well as he should. He had released his noble phantasm in the form which had made him a hero. The Spear of Striking Death Flight had been just as powerful as legends told as Lancer threw everything he had at Gilgamesh, but the impossible servant had simply grinned and blocked it with shield after shield. Each one a noble phantasm in its own right, it showed how powerful Gae Bolg was in its thrown form that it had gone through five of them, but that was no consolation to Lancer who had just seen his greatest feat overcome so easily.

Having used up so much of his prana and without spear in hand, Lancer had nearly been killed as Gilgamesh expressed his displeasure at so many of his treasures being ruined beyond repair. It had taken a minute of desperate defending from Lily and Archer for Lancer to replenish himself to a point where he could be of help again, but he still wasn't as sharp as he had been.

"What choice do we have?" Archer replied. "It's either me or Lily, and I would rather leave her until last."

Archer's preferred order was due to the fact that Gilgamesh seemed to be playing with them for now, increasing the number of phantasms as time went by. He was sure that in such a mood Gilgamesh would respond to the challenge presented by his reality marble with disdainful amusement, but was not sure how Gilgamesh would react to Lily using Caliburn. In the worst case scenario, Gilgamesh would pull out that strange weapon that he had emerged with. The one that even Archer had not been able to identify, though he had recognised the power it contained.

"Anything's better than nothing," Lily called out to them. "Do your work Archer, we will protect you."

Archer nodded back at Lily as she prepared to spend the rest of her strength if required to defend him. Lancer too moved to cover Archer, though he sighed with annoyance at having to do so for the annoying servant. With these two in front of him, Archer confirmed that he was in a position to try his gambit, and relaxed himself so that he could prepare to use the card that he had saved even as he was being pressed by the dragon earlier. Had he traced some anti-dragon phantasms then he could have done some serious damage, but in doing so he would have had to release them, using up a lot of his prana in the process. A strange sense of danger had warned him against this, and he was glad that he had listened to his instincts now.

"- Trace on."

A trigger was pulled inside Archer's mind as he imagined his circuits coming to life. This was the beginning point of all his magecraft, the spark that would light the fire in the forge.

"I am the bone of my sword."

As Archer began his chant, Gilgamesh noticed that something had changed and narrowed his eyes as he saw that Lily and Lancer had positioned themselves so as to protect Archer. He had recognised the faker for what he was as the fight progressed, and was not too happy that such a banal existence could be regarded as a hero like himself. The fact that the faker was about to do something therefore made him wonder if there was any worth to letting it complete. With Saber's twin and Lancer working together to defend against his most often used attacks however, there was little he could do except to use Ea, which was much to great an honor for a base character that dared to copy his treasures.

"Steel is my body and fire is my blood."

Clueless as to what Gilgamesh was thinking, Archer continued his chant, focusing upon the core of his being so as to make real what only existed inside his mind.

"I have created over a thousand blades."

"Ah..." Lily stifled a groan as a dense volley of weapons exploded as she parried them. The force of the explosions pummeling her like the fists of a giant.

"Unknown to Death,

Nor known to life."

"How long does it take him to use that thing," Lancer muttered as he withstood another explosion as he whipped away a sword with his spear. This was more just an expression of his frustration than an actual question though, as Lancer was familiar enough with magecraft to recognise a reality marble being formed.

Gilgamesh frowned as he saw the weapons he had fired all be blocked. He had just used forty of his prized treasures in that last attack and though Lily and Lancer had come out of it the worse for the wear, the fact that he hadn't been able to catch Archer with the attack hurt his pride. He was about to consider deploying some of the more powerful weapons in his arsenal despite the fact that it would cut short his amusement when he caught sight of something, and he smiled as she realised that he had found the perfect target.

When Gilgamesh raised his hand again, Lily and Lancer naturally thought that it would be to fire another barrage at them. The direction that Gilgamesh pointed at however was totally distant from their location, and it was not until they turned to see what lay there that Lily's eyes widened with horror.

About two hundred metres away, Ilya could be seen just at the edge of the deciduous forest which had been ravaged during the earlier battle with the dragon. The Einzbern child had crept back towards the battlefield for some reason after Rider had taken her away, and with Rider's weapon speeding towards her it seemed as if she would be killed. Ilya must have felt the same, for she realised her predicament and shouted Berserker's name.

To which he responded, to everyone's surprise.

"■■■■■■■-!"

Roaring his anger at finding his master threatened, the grey giant charged out of the gap in the air that Gilgamesh had created earlier. Fortunately, this place lay between Ilya and Gilgamesh, and Berserker was able to swing his sword-axe at the lone lance Gilgamesh had fired off to cut it in twain before it reached Ilya.

"Berserker!" Ilya cried out happily, to which her servant replied with a loud roar.

"Nice timing!" Lancer exclaimed as he saw the grey giant join the battle.

Gilgamesh's face was twisted with anger now at one of his decisions being thwarted yet again. He was the King of Heroes, and his will was to be done. Today however one rat after another continued to pop out in order to disrupt his decisions, and it was really getting very tiring.

"One after another, this is why I hate vermin," Gilgamesh growled as he fired off a spread out volley of projectiles to engage all the servants. "Especially overly large vermin that stink of the gods!"

Shouting out his hatred of the divine, Gilgamesh whipped his hand towards Berserker who had ignored much of the earlier volley to charge straight at him. This time, a mass of metal that even Berserker could not ignore was fired off. With angry roars the huge servant managed to smash back the first wave with his incredible strength, but failed to do so for the second as a few of the weapons managed to penetrate his skin. Before the final wave could shred him however, a curtain of fire rose up around them all, distracting even Gilgamesh as he looked to its source.

"So as I pray, Unlimited Blade Works."

With that final iron willed call, the flames swept across the land to reveal a vast wasteland upon which stood an incredible number of swords. Each one clearly the work of a master, the blades that slept here on this endless plain all seemed to be waiting for someone, and that who was made clear as Archer strode forward. The red coated servant was calm and confident now as he walked towards Gilgamesh under the sky which was dominated by a series of huge gears that ground on and on in an eternal cycle. His attitude and the welcoming song of this world's steel denizens made it clear that this was Archer's world, a land of iron and flame within which he was king.

"This... Is Archer's world?" Lily mumbled in manner which suggested she did not find it to her liking.

"Heh, bit boring isn't it?" Lancer commented as he looked around. "Nice place for a fight though."

Their commentary aside, the most important guest to this realm did not seem to find the place very pleasant.

"Is this what you were doing, faker?" Gilgamesh addressed him, contempt clear in his voice. "A land full of degraded copies of my treasures? If so, you wasted your time."

As he spoke, Gilgamesh expanded the Gate of Babylon as wide as he could in order to show off the numbers of weapons he could call upon at once. A figure that lay close to the hundred mark.

"We will see about that," Archer replied coolly as he ignored Gilgamesh's display to summon his own army of steel. Swords and othe weapons rose up from the fire-baked earth at his command and soon two armies born of the flame gleamed at each other across the field.

"■■■■■-!"

Berserker's heedless roar as he ignored Archer and Gilgamesh's standoff to charge at the King of Heroes was the signal to start hostilities, and both Archer and Gilgamesh lowered their hands as they directed their attacks at each other. A cacophony of explosions followed as legendary weapon clashed with mythical treasure, and it was through this hell that Berserker charged toward as he ignored the damage from the noble phantasms that hit him to head straight for Gilgamesh.

"Stupid brute!" Gilgamesh swore loudly as Berserker managed to get close enough to attack him. The fact that he was forced to defend against Archer's attack had meant he hadn't been able to direct enough of the shots against the mad servant to stop him. This failure nearly cost Gilgamesh his life, as the armour that had withstood blows from Caliburn with little strain crumpled under a hit from Berserker before he managed to get away.

It was not time for Gilgamesh to relax though, as a sword flew at him out of nowhere and exploded against his armor. Berserker's presence had distracted him from Archer, and the servant had used that lapse to push an attack through Gilgamesh's wall of steel.

"Plenty more where that came from," Archer jibed with a confidence he did not feel as Gilgamesh glared at him. Unlimited Blade Works took a lot of prana to maintain, and even though tracing was a lot easier inside its bounds, the fact remained that in order to counter Gilgamesh's indiscriminate barrages he had to trace a lot of weapons. He had little support from Rin, who was probably still unconscious, and didn't have too much prana left after a hard day of fighting. As Lily and Lancer charged into the fight, he could only hope that the addition of Berserker meant that they could finish Gilgamesh off before time ran out.

-x-x-x-

_- UBW recognised. Isolating possibility paradigm line_.

Aware of all that happened inside the bounds of the domain that Caster had created, 'Emiya' was fully aware of Archer's reality marble as he deployed it in battle. Seeing this realisation of a hero's mental landscape, 'Emiya's' mind was somehow able to comprehend that it was somehow related to herself. At the same time however, her spirit rejected that assessment, and it took a while before 'Emiya' was able to realise that this was because she was not the one who recognised it.

It was the first thought that 'Emiya' had been able to form in an age that distinguished between her numerous possible selves. Like a mote of dust among cosmic gas, this was enough to allow 'Emiya' to begin to collect her thoughts around this idea, in an effort to reform an identity that was recognisably human.

Progress was slow, and hampered by the sheer amount of information that needed to be sorted through. The fact that any progress was made at all was only possible due to the fact that it was 'Emiya's' soul that was doing the work. As the only thing that was completely free of the physical limits of time and space, the soul could sort through even the infinite sea of possibilities in order to sift out those pieces that belonged to it.

_First shard - located. Prime spiritual trait - sword._

The first component of 'Emiya's' soul. The sword that the blank slate found by Kiritsugu had been forged into by years of single-minded training. An essential part of all 'Emiyas' that existed across the multiverse.

_Twelve thousandth and nine..._

_Second shard - located. Secondary spiritual trait - infinity.._

_Elventh shard - lcoated. Personality matrix - anger._

_Fourth shard - located. Personality matrix - joy._

The second component of 'Emiya's' soul. The infinite capacity that had even been able to accept the burden of the Second. Shared by all, but in different manners. The beginning point of the divergence that had led to a rejection of Unlimited Blade Works in this timeline.

_Five thousandth and twenty first shard - located. Taste - lemons._

_Forty-nine thousandth..._

_Third shard - located. Tertiary spiritual trait - possibility._

The third piece of the soul. One unique to a single possibility line due to its nature. An end, and a new beginning. This was the seed that had led to who she was today.

This was what made it possible for 'her' to exist.

_Prime shards located. Beginning integration of core natures._

She was... Emiya Kirika. Friend and apprentive to Rin, spiritual daughter to Emiya Kiritsugu, and... A person in her own right. For her life was her own, and even if their pasts were the same, she was not Emiya Shirou.

_Core identity established. Rebuilding possibility paradigm_.

Having re-established the foundations of her identity, the speed at which her soul rebuilt itself accelerated greatly. Memories returned of days spent with Rin, lessons with Kirei, and nights spent brooding about the question which she had only just laid to rest.

_Core possibility paradigm restored. UBW - recreation impossible. Replacing with new environmental data._

Accompanying this restoration was the regeneration of her mental landscape. No longer was it a cluttered yet barren wasteland full of junk, but instead the new vista was one where an endless sea of green grass stretched out towards the horizon. The sky remained that of a starry nightscape as of old, but the cracks were more evident than ever as a bright gold light shone through them. Kirika no longer paid them any mind either, for destruction was sometimes required before rebirth could occur, and the cracks were but a sign that she was ready to grow as a person and a mage, to break the self-imposed limits that she had unconsciously placed upon herself.

_Possibility lines fully distinguished. Access and utilisation, active._

Fully restored, and better than she had ever been, Kirika opened her eyes as she finally woke from her long sleep. After lying in one place for so long, it would not have been strange for her body to be stiff and sore, but it appeared that in the process of restoring her body to the state it should have been in, the powers at work had also cured any little aches and pains she might have had.

Kirika's sudden revival startled Rider who had been watching over her from nearby, unable to go back and face Lily with Kirika in an unknown condition. When she had first come into the temple after agreeing to retrieve Lily's master, she had been horrified to see Caster stabbing the girl in the chest with her dagger. Horror had turned to confusion when it became clear the girl was still alive, but constantly changing from one form to another. The closest comparison she had been able to make was to the shape-shifter Proteus, but Kirika had only shifted between forms that were recognisably hers, and those of a strangely familiar young man. Eventually, this had narrowed down to those to Kirika only, but this had not warned Rider that Kirika would suddenly sit up.

It was not only Kirika's sudden movement that had surprised her either. Having met the girl a few times before, Rider was familiar with how the girl looked, which was nothing like she did now. Whereas before Kirika's eyes had been a warm amber and her eyes a coppery brown, her eyes now shone iridescent in the dim light of the temple and her hair a pearly white that was tinged with shifting hues of opalline color.

"Oh, hello Rider," Kirika greeted Rider as she noticed her. "You came to get me didn't you?"

Rider was so confused by the current situation that she didn't even think to enquire as to how Kirika could know this as she nodded in reply.

"Thank you for that," Kirika told her as she smiled. She then closed her eyes and appeared to look for something, and when she found it she frowned slightly and reopened her eyes.

"Looks like we need to go," said Kirika as she looked Rider in the eye. "Gilgamesh is fighting well, and everyone is in trouble."

That reminded Rider of the situation she had left Lily in, and she was about to grab Kirika so as to carry her when the young mage stopped her with an outstretched hand.

"No need for that, at least not for now," said Kirika. "While I still have a connection open, it will be faster for me to take us there."

"?" Rider was even more confused now. What did she mean she could take them there?

She got her answer as Kirika clicked her fingers, and dumped them onto the middle of the battlefield where Gilgamesh and all the other servants were fighting.

"Kirika?"

"What the?"

"..."

Kirika and Rider's sudden appearance brought a temporary halt to the battle which had been going badly for those on Archer's side. The most obvious example of this was the fact that Berserker was fading away after he had been skewered by Gilgamesh's noble phantasms so many times that he looked like a giant pin-cushion. With her connection to the soul still open, Kirika reflected that this was similar to a scene from another world, where Berserker had put up bit more of a fight against Gilgamesh. She supposed the comparison was a little unfair though, as in that world Berserker had begun the battle against an overly arrogant Gilgamesh with a full stock of lives. In this world he had only five lives left after various confrontations with servants, and this had made a large difference in his performance against Gilgamesh.

"I get rid of one, and two more appear?" Gilgamesh said rhetorically as he saw them. "This really is much like eliminating pests."

"So you may think," Kirika replied. "Too bad for you though that these pests have a trick or two up their sleeve."

"Tricks you may have, but what good is that?" Gilgamesh asked, not really interested. "Trickery is for the weak, and I would hardly deserve my titles and position if I were to fall to mere tricks."

"So you may think, as I said before," Kirika said enigmatically as she walked over to stand beside Lily.

"Kirika, are you alright?" Lily asked worriedly despite the fact that they were in the middle of a battle.

"Yes I am, thank you," Kirika replied, just as naturally. "What about you?"

"I have been in better shape," Lily admitted as she looked herself over. "Before that though, you should take Saber and run, Kirika. Rin and Sakura are somewhere back there as well, and Archer can escort you back.

"Run? That's not necessary thank you," Kirika told Lily.

"What are you talking about Kirika?" said Archer who had come up to them. "Get going while you still have the chance. I'm not sure that we can win this, but we can save you and Saber at least."

Archer spoke the truth as he knew it, as he was so low on prana that he was barely managing to hold his reality marble together. As Lily and Lancer were no better off than him, it was natural for him to try and at least save the person they had come to save.

"I said, Archer, that will not be necessary," Kirika replied as she pushed Lily to the side and drew on her fast fading connection to the soul.

"I am the mirror of my dream," she suddenly said, in a resonating tone that spoke of a magic chant.

"This again?" Gilgamesh said with a frown as felt again the feeling of a world being shaken. He wasn't quite sure what the girl meant to achieve with Archer's reality marble still up, but he guessed it was better to just avoid the possibility altogether.

"Kirika, watch out and get behind me!" Lily shouted as she came up to intercept Gilgamesh's attacks.

Whether or not Lily called to her, Kiria continued the chant, using it to synchronise herself with a part of her that was not quite hers.

"One upon infinity, unique possibility."

Gilgamesh tossed another attack in her direction, and this time it was Archer and Lancer's turn to swear as they moved forward to block. By this time though, Kirika had closed her eyes and was thinking about the reason she had chosen this out of the many options currently available to her in order to challenge Gilgamesh.

"Broken into pieces was my soul,

Blade Works denied.

Within shattered mind,

No resolve exists."

This was a tribute, to an Emiya Shirou she had never been, but had learned much from. It was also a farewell, a last gesture towards her past as Shirou that signified a full acceptance of her current self as a human being unique in her own right. She was not Emiya Shirou, and she could not do what Emiya Shirou could do. Using the connection that was currently open between her mind and soul however, and the reality marble that Archer had so kindly provided, she could at least make a decent go at a reality marble that would touch upon what she could have been, yet also show what she had now become.

"The grave of swords stands quiet,

Yet still unlimited is my world."

As the chant reached its final lines, a storm of poly-chromatic lightning reached out from Kirika to cover the world. Where each electrifying tongue of prana passed, they left behind cracks in the air that soon made the sky overhead resemble the one found in Kirika's mental landscape.

During this whole process, it amused Kirika to see that Archer appeared to have blown a fuse or two inside his head. Seeing as it was Archer, that was understandable, but that didn't prevent her from enjoying the sheer shock and disbelief evident on his face. In fact, the mixed expression so amused her that she carefully made sure that he could hear every word as she broke the final ties between Emiya Kirika and Emiya Shirou.

"Reflect unto infinity, 'Shatterglass Kaleidoscope'..."

With those last few words, Kirika clicked her fingers, and the cracked sky shattered into a million pieces. In a contradiction of the laws of gravity however, these shards did not immediately fall down, but instead the majority hung in the air, reflecting the light of the dawn sky that had been revealed as the starlit nightscape that had existed before was broken into bits. A minority of the pieces however did fall, and so great was the total number that even this small portion made it seem as if it had begun to rain. Those underneath, even Gilgamesh, instinctively tried to dodge the falling pieces of glass-like sky. The sole exception being Kirika who had reached out a hand to grab a shard as it fell. The servants soon found however that just as with rain, it was impossible to avoid the countless small pieces that rained down upon the earth, and that these pieces were completely harmless as they evaporated upon contact like water sprayed onto a hot pan.

The piece that Kirika had caught however behaved differently, glowing with a bright green light as Kirika closed her hand around it. When she opened her hand again, Kirika's outfit had changed to one that resembled Archer's in a way, if Archer's jacket was modified for a feminine frame.

"Set.

Load paradigm.

Tracer."

Catching another falling shard, Kirika flourished it like a card magician at a Las Vegas casino, and just as with a magic trick the shard disappeared to be replaced by a beautifully crafted sword. With another flick of her hand Kirika hung this in the air, and then grinned at Gilgamesh. The King of Heroes was strangely unsettled by that grin, and summoned his own weapons to have them at the ready. No amount of preparation however could have readied him for what came next.

"Reflect image.

Fire."

Two short orders, but once given, they turned this world into a hell of steel and fire. As soon as Kirika said the words 'reflect image' a light had spread from the sword that she had hung in the air to all the shards that were falling nearby. This light spread from shard to shard, and each one it touched became a mirror reflection of the 'original' sword that Kirika had created. This all happened in an instant, and when Kirika gave the order to fire, a thousand upon a thousand swords all darted forward at once towards Gilgamesh. The huge clash of steel and the explosion that followed threw up dust for what seemed like miles, and all the servants covered their eyes to protect them from the scouring wind.

When the wind and dust settled down somewhat, the servants saw that Kirika had changed appearances again. This time she wore an elegant black dress, and held a ball of black flames in her hand.

"Reflect image.

Fire."

Without even waiting to see if Gilgamesh was still alive, Kirika launched a second merciless attack. This time the cloned weapon was the black fireball, and when they all converged upon Gilgamesh's last known location, they created a pillar of flame that sucked away the air nearby to create a pillar of flame that reached up to the heavens.

A devastating attack, and one that the servants felt could have done away with Gilgamesh. Kirika must have thought that too because she dispelled the dress to return to her original casual outfit as she waited for the dust and smoke to clear.

To everyone's surprise, Gilgamesh had survived, and announced his survival by means of a rain of weapons at the rough location where Kirika stood. Despite the fact that a similar attack had done away with Berserker, Kirika stood her ground and used another shard to summon a shield of light. As the shields spread outwards, they came into contact with Gilgamesh's attack and the first few ranks were easily shattered. The massive number of shields that had been created however meant that when Gilgamesh's attack fizzled out, there were many more that hadn't even been touched.

"Set.

Final Reflection."

With her connection to her soul fast fading, and the seemingly limitless prana she had beginning to be strained by the efforts of maintaining a reality marble she didn't even possess, Kirika felt that the time had come to end this. Acting upon instinct she called for the final reflection that this pseudo reality marble could create, and summoned into being a mass of prismatic light that hung about her hand. For something with such a grand name the lights seemed quite insignificant, but none of the servants were fooled by the size or the pretty colours. They could all feel the power that was contained in that small mass, and wondered how the hell Kirika could use something like this. If Kirika had the attention to spare she would have told them that she couldn't, and that the buff from her spirit link was what had allowed her to try in the first place. There was no way that she would be able to recreate what she had done today, not unless Kirika surpassed the limits of magecraft.

"Enuma-"

Across the blasted plain, Gilgamesh prepared to use his greatest weapon against Kirika. He had felt a threat to his life in her attacks and now sought to destroy her as surely as possible.

Kirika noted the power gathering in Gilgamesh's noble phantasm, and the effect that it would have upon being released. She was strangely calm however as she continued to stand in the same place, waiting until the light around her hand had grown as bright as it would ever get.

"- Elish!"

Gilgamesh got his attack off first, Ea releasing a wave of crimson red light that tore apart the world around it as it approached. From the damage she observed, Kirika understood that this false world would break apart as soon as this attack resolved, but that mattered little to her. Instead of panicking Kirika merely smiled, and raised her hand as she gave the final order to this world that she had created.

"All points, set.

Dimension Break."

The shards of glass that filled the sky all let off a rainbow light, and the world turned white as heaven fell upon the earth.

-x-x-x-

On the other side of Fuyuki from the mountain, Caster felt the destruction of the domain she had created and the surge of prana that accompanied the collapse. She was puzzled however by the sheer amount of prana she felt, for it seemed to be much more than could have been possible if she calculated the energies that had gone into its construction.

"Caster, he's here," Assassin's voice intruded upon her thoughts, again breaking her from her contemplations.

Caster turned to face the person who walked into the room where she had waited for him seated on an ornate Victorian sofa. The newly arrived personage was the owner of this room in the church, and was dressed in a plain black clergyman's robe that fit him well as he sat down across from her.

"Thank you for coming, Caster," the priest said to the servant. "May I ask what it is that you need today?"

Caster smiled at him as she leaned forward.

"Nothing much Father Kotomine," she told him pleasantly. "Nothing but your worthless life that is."

"What?"

Kirei tried to stand up, but was cut down before he had even completed that motion by Assassin, who had lived up to her class name for once with that silent strike.

"Is he dead?" Caster asked dispassionately.

Assassin tried poking Kirei with her sword. "Looks like it. I think I severed a major artery or two."

"Good," Caster replied. "In that case, come along Assassin. We have a lot of work to do if I am to get my revenge."

Caster then departed the room with Assassin in tow. They left behind nothing they owned, and nothing else but for Kirei's dead body. When the door closed and darkness filled the room however, something inside twitched and began to move.

* * *

><p>Sorry it's been so long since the last chapter was posted (Yes, this is not a dead fic). My life has been pretty hectic for a while, and the last month or so has been the first real break I've had. I have another few heavy weeks coming along though so don't expect anything up on anytime soon. Only completed chapters get posted here (though I still need to go back and do the spell-checking and revisions on the earlier chapters which I forgot to do). It's much more likely that I will post parts on Beast Lair for a next few weeksmonths.

As for the story itself, sorry if people don't like the way that it has gone. A number of people have commented on the fact that Kirika accepts the change to a girl too easily, but I considered this a somewhat natural result of having spent the last 6 years as a girl, including most of her teenage years where an individual's identity gets firmly established as one goes through puberty. If you don't like this, or have different opinions on how it should have gone, feel free to comment or write your own story, just don't send me any hate mail please.

Finally, I will be taking questions for the next two weeks for a Q&A interlude to be posted at that time. If you have questions, ask, and I will attempt to answer anything that doesn't give away too much of the story as planned.


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